Don’t take journalism for granted

Knowledge is power.

Of course, it’s not the only source. There’s money, for one. Political office. Influence in all its forms. But knowledge, when we have it, is the people’s power.

A whole industry dedicated to informing the people and uncovering what the powerful are trying to hide? There’s a word for that: journalism.

Human beings have always been eager gatherers and sharers of information, but journalism as we know it today didn’t always exist, and if the conditions that support it go away, it could be lost. And that would be bad, because journalism matters.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably of a like mind, at least enough to have made it to page two. But ask around, and you’ll find not everybody makes a habit of opening a newspaper these days, or even a news website.

Ask folks where they get their news, and many will simply tell you social media. Don’t get us wrong, there’s plenty of real news there, and there’s no future for journalism without it. But it’s always crucial to dig deeper and know where your news is coming from because these platforms mean it has never been easier to divide, manipulate, and misinform.

Old-school, gumshoe reporters still bring us many of the breakthroughs that compel and empower change, but that doesn’t have to mean they work for an old-school name. Many of the outlets doing important work today are alternative papers, magazines, and online-only media, but the good ones are guided by the same stuff that has always made good journalism stand out.

It’s not just the name of the organization that matters. It’s the principles it stands for - or doesn’t: transparency, independence, truth, fairness, justice, and courage.

In the words of one famous old quote, the news media’s job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

But the comfortable don’t seem too afflicted these days, and that means quality journalism is needed more than ever.

It’s on our minds this week, and not just because The Eastern Door is headed to back-to-back journalism conferences this weekend.

It seems like there’s always another disheartening headline plaguing the industry. This month, we’ve seen one of the most venerable properties in journalism, 60 Minutes, in turmoil.

By all appearances, CBS News, which runs the show, would rather appease the powerful than hold them accountable. First, the organization settled with Trump, who sued the organization over an interview with Kamala Harris, handing over $16 million that was just a bribe by another name.

Trump’s approval was needed for a merger, which then went through. The new owner, David Ellison, the son of the fifth-richest man in the world, went ahead and installed right-wing opinion writer and hot-take specialist Bari Weiss to head up the news division.

It was claimed she was there to shake things up, but it seems like she was really put there to tear it down.

Recently, the senior leadership of 60 Minutes and two of its correspondents were terminated, even though the show’s ratings were improving.

One of the journalists who was fired, Sharyn Alfonsi, produced an important piece this season, exposing the outrage of what’s happening at Salvadorian prisons where immigrants were deported from the US. That piece was blocked hours before it was supposed to air, with Weiss saying it needed comment from the Trump administration - even as the Trump administration had refused to comment.

That doesn’t scream independence. One of the foundational principles of journalism is to reach out to both sides, but if you could stop the news by blocking a journalist’s phone number, the news wouldn’t be worth much, would it? We know that firsthand, and “no comment” is comment enough to run with.

When the 60 Minutes piece was pulled, outrage ensued, and eventually it aired with some minor modifications, but the damage to the network’s reputation was done.

The disgrace hit a new level when one of the remaining correspondents, Scott Pelley, challenged the new leadership at a meeting, leading to him being thrown overboard last week, too.

On his way out the door, he revealed that he had been pressured to describe Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer this year, as driving towards the officer who killed her, even though the video contradicted this version of events - which also happened to be the Trump administration’s preferred telling.

All this happened in less than a year. If one of the best-funded and well-respected news companies can be captured and dismantled in such a short time, it shows how delicate good journalism can be.

It depends on an ecosystem of people in it for the right reasons getting the support they need.

Fortunately, there are so many great journalists in this country who refuse to compromise, who inspire us with their commitment to getting the story. At the end of the day, it’s the reader or the viewer or the listener, not the politicians or even the journalists, who make change.

But real news, information backed by facts, the negotiation of perspectives, is what makes it possible.

And it’s something we all need to fight for.

Marcus Bankuti, Managing Editor

Steve Bonspiel, Editor/Publisher