Jeremy Burke’s Post

https://lnkd.in/eYt7vdrS The Case for Objective, Investigative, and Local #Journalism Martin Baron ..."For the press to hold #power to account today, we will have to commit to what constitutes our moral core. Responsible journalists should be guided by fundamental principles. Among them: We must support and defend #democracy. Citizens have a right to self-governance. Without democracy, there will be no independent press, and without an independent press, there can be no democracy. We must work hard and honestly to discover the truth, and we should tell the public unflinchingly what we learn. We should support the right of all citizens to participate in the electoral process without impediment. We should endorse free speech and understand that vigorous debate over policy is essential to democracy. We should favor equitable treatment for everyone, under the law and out of moral obligation, and abundant opportunity for all to attain what they hope for themselves and their families. We owe special attention to the least fortunate in our society, and have a duty to give voice to those who otherwise would not be heard. We must oppose intolerance and hate, and stand against violence, repression, and abuse of power.  ... The lightning-fast spread of misinformation, disinformation, and crackpot conspiracy theories of today makes the pursuit of truth more essential, and more difficult. Efforts to deceive are more numerous and sophisticated, resources dedicated to deception more abundant. The field of journalism must respond by becoming more investigative in nature. Investigative reporting has been a ripe target for cost-cutting in an industry where resources are scarce. It is expensive, takes a lot of time, cannot guarantee results (or even a story), and may not quicken the digital traffic that is prized currency in the Internet era. When journalists abdicate their role as watchdogs, however, unscrupulous behavior is encouraged ... While investigative reporting is thriving in some corners of journalism, particularly at the national level, it is being starved to death in others. Local news outlets continue to see their primary sources of revenue dry up, leaving them poorly resourced to fund ambitious journalism of any type. Too many local newspapers have been taken over by private equity firms and hedge funds. Those owners seem determined to milk their properties for every last penny they can cough up, without regard for the public interest. Investigative journalism at the local level is threatened anew. ” ...

Is investigative journalism dying out? Critical, investigative journalism requires a few things: patience, bravery, and newsrooms that can stay at arm's length from their owners. With constant cost-cutting, these things become harder to keep. The result is invisible: we don't know the stories we're not reading. But the impact of those missing stories is huge.

Seven fundamental principles for journalists from former editor of The Washington Post, Martin Baron. 1. Support and defend democracy. 2. Work hard and honestly to discover the truth, and tell the public unflinchingly what is learned. 3. Support the right of all citizens to participate in the electoral process without impediment. 4. Endorse free speech and understand that vigorous debate over policy is essential to democracy. 5. Favor equitable treatment for everyone and abundant opportunity for all to attain what they hope for themselves and their families. 6. Give special attention to the least fortunate in our society, and give voice to those who otherwise would not be heard. 7. Oppose intolerance and hate, and stand against violence, repression, and abuse of power.  ------ Without an independent press, there can be no democracy. But in a time of political polarization, how can journalists win the trust of the communities they serve? The answer is objectivity, argues Martin Baron, a Carnegie trustee. Baron traces the concept’s origins to the early twentieth century. As propaganda raged in the aftermath of World War I, “objective” journalism gained currency when the renowned journalist and thinker Walter Lippmann proposed that the press pursue a method that is “as impartial an investigation of the facts as is humanly possible.” Read more from Baron, who has led newsrooms to 18 Pulitzer Prizes, on the case for objective, investigative, and local journalism: https://lnkd.in/eWnakDDu

World News Day "Trusted News, Trusted World" "A free press is the unsleeping guardian of every other right that free men prize." - John S. Sweeney On World News Day, we recognize the vital role that quality journalism plays in informing and empowering communities worldwide. As misinformation and disinformation threaten the fabric of our societies, it's essential to promote fact-based reporting and support journalists who risk their lives to bring us the truth by observing accuracy, objectivity, transparency and accountability. Challenges to trusted and objective journalism includes fake news and propaganda, disinformation and conspiracy theories, media censorship and repression, journalist safety and security. Quality and Trusted journalism is expected to provide the voice to the voiceless while ensuring transparency. The journalism and the journalists need to focus on 5 important tenants of journalism to uphold journalistic objectivity i.e. seeking truth, minimising harm, independence / objectivity, transparency and to be held accountable. #WorldNewsDay #TrustedNews #TrustedWorld #QualityJournalism #PressFreedom #MediaLiteracy

It's #WorldPressFreedomDay, a time to reflect that journalism plays a central role in sustaining democracy. This excerpt from a message by Courtney Radsch, PhD, director of Center for Journalism and Liberty, reminds me that press freedom does not exist in a void: at the end of the day, journalists provide a public service in a market economy, and the policies that govern such market have always mattered for journalists to make a living and do their jobs free from fear of retaliation - be it coming from govts or the private sector. "News organizations and journalists around the world face not only a myriad of obstacles from authoritarian and autocratic regimes that seek to silence them, but also an information environment that is heavily controlled and concentrated in a handful of digital platforms. Competition policy plays a fundamental role in structuring media markets and business models that ensure the future of a strong and independent free press where journalists can make a living and work safely and without fear of reprisal, from government or corporations." #pressfreedom #digitaljournalism #informationintegrity I invite you to read the full message here:

Still holds true, relevant & valuable today. Read on the Internews piece on the 5 challenges for journalism: https://lnkd.in/dJR293bg The role of journalism in our lives, for an informed citizenship, an honest and truthful reporting of news, thus facilitating ethical decision making. "The future of journalism is about the future of public conversations: How do we communicate with one another, how do we access information we need to live our best lives, and how do we hold power to account. The best conversations are dialogues, where people listen to each other, respond to each other’s needs and preferences, and find a common space to resolve problems". BBC News AFP

Important read!

One of the best things I've read about journalism in a long time. Diversity, inclusion and belonging aren't just the right things to do for journalism, but also utterly essential if journalism is to have a future. How can people have any faith a newsroom will understand their challenges if they don't see themselves in those newsrooms? How can newsrooms hope to reflect the communities they serve if they aren't challenging themselves and asking: "What are we missing?" and then "Why are we missing it?" I also love the 'dog bites man' challenge too - we need fewer 'rules' and greater emphasis on what believing that what readers believe is news should take precedent. Let's be honest, it's why we always see stories about trains, but far less see stories about buses - despite the fact a much greater percentage of the population rely on the latter every day than do the former. Journalism thrives when it's read and valued by many people - it's a powerful force for good when it's appreciated by large numbers of people. We need to listen more, and make sure we're making our newsrooms as open as possible to as many people as possible. https://lnkd.in/e8Y_cmqT

What might happen if journalists stop asking probing questions to uncover facts and then reporting those facts so that their audience will form their own conclusions? LOSS OF PERSONAL FREEDOM! Eventually it will lead to group think and then authoritarianism. Recent controversies at CBS about journalistic standards such as https://lnkd.in/g9D_sPsU and https://lnkd.in/gk5jik2Q should be wake-up calls for CBS viewers to express their opinions. Journalists who ask probing questions that allow audiences to come to their own conclusions should be praised and not ridiculed. Executives who bow to propogandists should be fired, because they no longer enable freedom of the press.  Viewers of CBS should ask CBS leadership to support journalism instead of propaganda by leaving a message at https://lnkd.in/gNW2uCaZ or stop viewing CBS for a month or two because of those recent controversies at CBS. SILENCE IS CONSENT! Based on the website layouts of the Paramount Company and its subsidiaries, executives do not want to receive messages. https://lnkd.in/gQQppzHe lists executives without email addresses. If journalists want to change the world write an opinion with viable solutions that viewers will agree with.  Don't manipulate facts to support one's opinion and then spoon feed it to viewers.

This is a compelling read. While I don't entirely agree with every point made, my perspective is largely in line with the sentiments expressed. "The gap that has opened within America between the more and less educated, between urban centers and rural or small-town regions, is a reality. A demagogue like Trump can cynically expand the divide, but he didn’t invent it. And, from my own career, I am convinced that the divide has cracked as deep and wide as it has partly because of the evisceration of local journalism. One part of your mission is to rebuild it. "In the other direction, the people in these news deserts rarely get to know any journalists as people, as friends and neighbors. When local journalism was a viable industry, you would run into a reporter or editor or photographer coaching a Little League team or playing in a bar band or standing next to you in the supermarket checkout line. You can’t so easily demonize journalism and journalists after such intimate, everyday contact. You might think more than twice about rooting for reporters to be tossed in jail." I will always stand as an advocate for local journalism, as it connects with people on a level that national news often can't. It’s crucial that we come together to safeguard our fundamental democratic rights, including the right to question, challenge, and critically examine our institutions.