For the past 20 years, journalism in America has been in a sorry state. From failing to investigate the invasion of Iraq, ignoring the warning signs of the Great Recession, to today’s rise of Trump – the American media has lost its credibility and respect. 24-hour news networks have replaced fact with opinion, and spend too much time reporting on gossip while doing their best to fill airtime by inventing stories.
The media, and American people, have lost sight of the word ‘objectivity.’ News outlets have propagated the idea that truth is always in the middle, and if there are two sides of an argument, then both must be valid, even if one is a complete lie. When a politician claims that climate change isn’t real or that President Obama is a radical socialist, reporters sit quietly without asking questions, pressing for facts or engaging in confrontation.
Journalism’s purpose is to be confrontational, not act as a public relations outlet for politicians and businesspeople. American news outlets fear that if they ask serious questions, they’ll lose access to coverage and guests. For some reason, the likes of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News are more concerned about protecting their sources feelings instead of telling the truth to the American people.
Who knows how we got here. Maybe it’s because of the ever increasing control that advertisers have on news outlets, or maybe it has to do with the rise of conservative talk pundits. The fact that 90 percent of our media is owned by six massive corporations doesn’t help. If there’s any consolation, print media, something people thought was going to cease existing has proven itself to be not completely worthless. The New York Times is still respected internationally, and the Detroit Free Press still does some exceptional reporting.
Local journalism, while still there, is practically a joke. Local news outlets (you know the one) are less interested in challenging institutions, and more interested in finding the best hot dog in the Tri-Cities. They’d rather shame the poor than report on the acquisition and sale of local PBS stations. When was the last time you saw an interview about local elections, oreporting on the policies of local politicians?
Again, journalism outlets are not PR firms. They are an important, necessary part of American society. There’s a reason the protection of a free press is in the first amendment and not the fifth – journalism protects democracy by challenging preconceived ideas, pressing politicians and changing the status quo. Imagine a world where journalists humored Nixon’s “I am not a crook,” instead of calling him out as the criminal he was.
There is hope though, and not all American reporters are terrible. Glenn Greenwald is fantastic, it’s just unfortunate that he has to work for a British newspaper to get published, and it does seem like people are starting to get that not holding politicians accountable for their baseless statements could lead to extremism, violence and insanity.
Truth exists, and it isn’t based on opinion or partisan politics. If a public figure lies to a journalist, it’s the journalist’s job to call them on it. If they don’t, then they’re just as guilty as the liar.
Standards need to rise. Journalists aren’t meant to stand back and react, they’re meant to proactively engage and report.
Poverty, inequality, health care and our overcrowded prisons aren’t simply issues that reporters should cover, they’re problems that journalists should be reporting and actively trying to change. Journalism is for activists. The idea that a reporter must always be objectivite a lie. A person’s personal beliefs are always going to impact their reporting in some way, the sooner Americans and the media understand that, the sooner we can start making sense again.
