Over the past three years, not one mainstream outlet, whether print or broadcast, has mounted an in-depth, critical investigation of the Covid crisis and the hasty rollout of experimental and untested vaccines.
The latest sign of this dangerous trend is a new report, “Beyond Objectivity: Producing trustworthy news in today’s newsrooms.” Written by two prominent journalists now teaching at Arizona State University – former Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. and former CBS News President Andrew Heyward – it is drawn from more than 75 interviews with “a variety of news leaders, journalists, and other experts.”
Too many editors are responding to a crisis of public trust by abandoning traditional news values.
Today media has more opinions than ever. More opinions, especially contrasting opinions, are good. What is bad, and erodes the public trust, is blurring opinions with news reporting.
Another Devil’s advocate © 2021. All rights reserved.
