Rough year so far for fourth estate
Published May 23, 2015
Editorial by Jacksonville Daily News, May 20, 2015.
We’re not even five months into 2015 and it has been a rough, rough year for journalists — and those who play them on TV. The highest-profile example, of course, was NBC News anchor Brian Williams, removed from the airwaves for six months, without pay, back in February when it surfaced that he had fabricated recollections of covering the Iraq war.
More recently, Rolling Stone magazine completely retracted a 9,000-word article from last November detailing a harrowing rape at a University of Virginia fraternity after the basic facts were found to be unfounded. Now, we have George Stephanopoulos, former chief spokesman for Bill Clinton and host of ABC News’ “This Week,” apologizing for not disclosing that he had contributed $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation, even as he grilled on his program an author who had written a book critical of how Bill and Hillary Clinton raise money for the charity.
And those are just ones most people have heard of.
These problems are not new. Errors are bound to happen, of course. Journalists are human beings, after all, and prone to error like everyone else.
Yet you can also stroll down the lane of American journalism’s history and you won’t have to go far to find accounts of fabricated facts, suspect sourcing, questionable quotes and conflicted interests. Sometimes the flair for self-promotion, outright laziness or some other inexplicable motive influence a reporter’s reporting and an editor’s editing. That has been the case since the industry was founded, and dates from a time when it was less tame and not as objectionable.
The issue with a case like Stephanopoulos, to cite the most recent well-known example, is that it tends to lead to circling the wagons. Critics become the criticized, further retaliation ensues, and as fault are exposed, the entire industry becomes seen as unreliable, untrustworthy.
As the late columnist Molly Ivins once wrote, “I don’t so much mind that newspapers are dying — it’s watching them commit suicide that (insert colorful phrasing here) me off.”
It’s been written to the point of being hackeneyed, but journalism is an critical part of our political system at all levels. The Founding Fathers recognized that and sought to preserve that role through the First Amendment. And it has helped preserve America’s republic for better than two centuries. That is true for the big national stuff that should matter to all of us as well as for the local news that is important to a community.
In July 2013, a Pew Research Center poll found that just 28 percent of U.S. adults believe journalists contribute “a lot” to society’s well-being, while 27 percent thought journalists contributed “not very much” or “nothing at all.” The “a lot” number had plunged 10 percentage points in just four years, Pew reported. It’s likely to have slid further since then for myriad reasons — and the likes of Williams and Stephanopoulos don’t help. But as Thomas Jefferson once said, “An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic.” The media, warts and all, is the best vehicle a community or a nation has for gaining such enlightenment.
May 23, 2015 at 10:36 am
Norm Kelly says:
I am grateful that we do have some media outlets to report on happenings. I'm grateful that NCSPIN is here. So don't take my comments out of context.
I would prefer that we had more media outlets that reported news, told the whole story, told the truth rather than skewing things in favor of one party or group. For example, the reason the Raleigh News & Observer has earned the name Noise & Disturber is because of their total lack of honest, fair reporting and refusing to tell the whole story. The N&D routinely, habitually, distorts stories to reflect their liberal bias. The N&D refuses to endorse Republican/conservative candidates for elected office. The N&D has repeatedly refused to endorse any candidate when they couldn't endorse the Demoncrat candidate. So in order for the newspaper media to be considered 'enlightening' they must get back to the job of enlightening. In order for readers to consider them a reliable source of news, newspapers like the N&D must get back to reporting news. In order to be considered unbiased, and therefore trustworthy, newspapers must start being unbiased.
A Republican who might misspeak, a perceived conservative who might say something slightly objectionable, is routinely & repeatedly roasted by media types. Howard Stern was forced off the air for one comment, even after apologizing. Name the last socialist, liberal, or Demon who was treated the same. Remember that Stephanopolous is still on the air. Brian was suspended for 6 months. Billary is still considered a viable candidate for President. Which Republican would stand a chance with half the baggage as Billary. And which media outlet, which newspaper, is covering Billary's real issues with any vigor? When the socialists in Washington were forcing socialized medicine down our throats, which newspaper was telling their audience the truth about the issue? When did the N&D tell us the truth about K Hagan and her position on socialized medicine? When the Veterans Administration was proving what a sorry idea socialized medicine was, and pols like K were touting it as an example of success, which newspaper was telling their audience the truth about the issue? Which newspaper was telling us that K's claim that the VA was a good example of how Obabmacancer would play out were telling us of the utter FAILURES of her example of socialized medicine? Which editorial in the N&D told us what a terrible representative for NC K really was? When newspapers were digging up dirt against K's opponent, which N&D editorial was spending ANY time digging up dirt, telling the truth about K?
A reliable, honest, truthful news media is essential for an educated electorate. Enlightened voters are essential to a continued republic, where freedom is protected. Unfortunately what we have are paid spokespeople for one particular party. And unfortunately that party has no desire to be honest with the electorate. So long as that party can continue to buy votes, that party has no desire to change anything. And too many in the news media are no longer news people, but are willing allies of that party. Too many in the news media, perhaps especially in the paper industry but obviously not limited to print, simply repeat talking points from the Demoncrat party without question or editing. Too many media outlets, that used to be news outlets, withhold stories when their allies in the demon party might be damaged. Or when they get a direct request from one of their allies. Some media outlets, like Dan, make up stories about their opposition (like George W) to promote their allies. And their made-up stories aren't questioned by other media allies; they are repeated and amplified without question. Because they are all allies together, media outlets and democRAT pols. And the proof of their bias toward, their alliance with, the Democrat party is so obvious that these media outlets are no longer trusted or believed. But not because of a biased electorate, but because of a media that is dishonest, biased, and not trustworthy.
Like their democRAT allies, media outlets are blaming their audience for their demise. The truth though is that their audience is leaving them because we don't like being misled. Which is lib-speak for 'lied to'. We don't like not being able to trust our news outlets. We prefer to have news outlets rather than media outlets. Anyone can watch a stupid 'reality' show to escape reality. But we tend to watch news or read news to GATHER NEWS! When the source is unreliable, the source is abandoned. When media outlets change their tactics, when media outlets stop being allies, they'll get some credibility back. But not until then. Until they earn cred, they should 'wither on the vine' to quote their socialist allies!
May 26, 2015 at 1:23 pm
Doug Lowder says:
Norm, all you have written is part of the reason that subscriber numbers have gone down for newspapers and viewership is going down at the progressive media outlets. People have flocked to non traditional sources because they see through the chaff that is the establishment media.
