What if journalists sense that their work never reaches the voters whose inattentiveness is being exploited? What if they somehow know that voters are getting screwed but they've lost faith in their ability to do anything about it?
This week was pledge drive for WNYC, my NPR station. We're members and gave them $120. I don't want a tote bag for that. I want a CEO who can think politically.
Further along in my dialogue with NPR over its embrace of "he said, she said" reporting: two new items to report. Another engagement with NPR's ombudsman. And Voice of San Diego's reporters handbook, which disallows he said, she said.
Apparently, NPR people do not understand what the critique of he said, she said is all about. It's not about editorializing. Or taking sides. It's failing to do the reporting required to shed light on conflicting truth claims.
PRESSTHINK is a project of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University. It is written and edited by professor Jay Rosen, who has taught at NYU since 1986. The blog is about the fate of the press in a digital era and the challenges involved in rethinking what journalism is today. It presents essays, press criticism, interviews and speeches. PressThink does not accept advertising.