Just the Facts, Ma'am

I'm wondering how we can restore journalism to the position it once held in the US. At one time, newsmen were the lifeblood of democracy, holding the powerful in business and government accountable to the people. People trusted journalists and when Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow, Ted Koppel, and so many others wrote about it or spoke about it, the people listened, trusted, and rallied.

And then CNN and other 24-hour news networks were born. While that, by itself, didn't spell the death knell of journalism, it started a slide toward the sensational and lurid which Fox News turned into an avalanche. Soon, journalism became all about "if it bleeds, it leads" and profitability. And, once news channels became profitable, the desire to keep them profitable started to inject itself into every decision that newsrooms made. What was once a loss-leader for whatever production company owned the channel became a cash cow. And the decisions made slanted toward whatever would keep them in the black.

The internet exploded. Now, anyone could report the news. People with no understanding of bias, sourcing, context, and accuracy were presenting news. With these pseudo-reporters scooping real journalists, papers and news programs started to pay for video or eye-witness accounts and letting their actual reporters go. Profitability increased.

Soon, we entered the era of the mega-rich, superstar on-air personalities. And the people paid attention. The more outrageous the personality, the more people glued themselves to their TVs and radios. Regardless of which side of the political spectrum the viewers leaned toward, there was a personality to cater to them. Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh on one side, Rachel Maddow and Howard Stern on the other and every personality in-between.

The money rolled in. Rather than presenting real news, they became opinionated. Without clearly labeling what they were saying as opinion, many of these personalities claimed to be real journalists even though what they presented couldn't be sourced, wasn't accurate, and was, in fact, either their own or their corporate leadership's opinions. They became little more than talking heads spouting a single party's or corporation's agenda.

These days, you have a President who claims that all news that doesn't cater to his whims is "fake." People are turning away from traditional news sources and listen more and more to an echo chamber of like-minded talk show hosts and news presenters that only present opinions those people already agree with. It makes them feel safe and understood in a world that is changing rapidly and, possibly, leaving them behind. You have people working for the President whose job it is to tell the truth who are instead lying every day, all day long. You have corporations funding biased research and presenting it as fact and not being held accountable. You have corporate lobbyists who take advantage of people's ignorance and shill what the corporation wants. You have people who feel they have become experts via the Internet who then preach to the masses ignorant views and semi-literate beliefs that find an audience.

In the end, the next leadership in America needs to somehow stop the division and bring journalism back to prominence and trustworthiness. They need to pass legislation that forces written and viewed commentary pieces to be labeled as such, so people know when they are being told real, hard news and when they are listening to someone's opinion. We need to make sure that the people know who has funded a particular news piece in question clearly and simply.

Lastly, we need all journalists to take a look at the four main tenents of journalism and rededicate themselves to upholding them:

1. Seek Truth and Report It
2. Minimize Harm
3. Act Independently
4. Be Accountable and Transparent

For more information on what a real journalist should do, see the Society of Professional Journalists site.