Journalism, We Have A Problem...

An issue that has only grown more and more worrisome for me was addressed in this week’s readings—namely that of the decreasing public trust in the institution of journalism. 

The Problem 

This week’s most interesting reading to me was Les Sillars' article “The Future of News” for First Things which takes an introspective dive into what has caused this public mistrust. According to Sillars, American journalism once used journalistic objectivity to position the industry as essential to democracy. “It promised objective, reliable coverage of events that mattered to citizens regardless of partisan beliefs,” said Sillars, “and it was supported by a lucrative, ad-driven business model. The upshot was significant cultural authority and massive profits” (Sillars, 2019).  

No more. According to Sillars, the percentage of Americans who say they trust the news media has decreased forty points in forty years. He lays the blame for the collapse of trust and the industry in general on internal issues—the call is coming from inside the house—as well as a loss of journalists’ noble calling— “to see the world clearly and help others see it clearly, too” (Sillars, 2019).  

It is a problem for which I have struggled to think of a solution. But everyone in the field of journalism has some degree of responsibility in being part of the solution to this problem. As mentioned in our readings, the press is referenced in the Constitution. It is a vital safeguard to democracy that, on especially bad days, seems to have devolved into just another cog in the political machine. 

This article was eye-opening to me in that it acknowledges the faults of newspapers and journalists, something that I have rarely seen them do themselves, regardless of their political inclinations. Human beings have a difficult time being wrong. But no one single person is responsible for the public’s change in attitude—the entire industry is at fault, as news organizations adopt activist journalism and appeasement of corporate sponsors or owners. We as a group must take responsibility for losing sight of objectivity and instead embracing either agenda or the dollar.  

Introducing objectivity back into the news, widening information access, and replanting local news outlets are three ways that the institution can increase public trust.  

Keep ‘em guessing 

Coming from my background in journalism from Troy University in the 2000s, how we got here some days seems beyond my comprehension. As a Troy journalism student, a vital component of our classes was always journalistic objectivity. It was taught to us as students, and it was put into practice daily by our faculty—to this day, I cannot tell you the political inclinations of one of my Troy journalism or public relations professors. I did not even receive enough clues from them to formulate a guess.  

Now I feel like I know exactly how every journalist I read voted in the last election. Opinion pieces and news shows seem to have taken the place of real news. Cable outlets and news sites have discovered who their audience is and cater to them to serve up only the information that interests them (and keeps their advertising dollars). News has become entertainment. Even articles that are factual reporting on a current event seem to be unable to no introduce some slant to one side or the other of issues.  

According to Sillars, objectivity as a professional norm was in direct response to the sensationalism of “yellow journalism” and its reliance on big headlines, graphic images, lurid details, and less-than-strict accuracy (Sillars, 2019). If that sounds familiar to us today, there is hope that journalism can once again find its way back to the ideals of journalistic objectivity. One place this needs to start is in the place where we are growing and shaping our future journalists—the classroom. Classes that emphasize objectivity and journalistic integrity, and do not encourage activism, can be included in the curriculum to give our future members of the free press a head start.  

Pay for Play, or Read rather 

One suggestion to save newspapers is to pay for content, but is that having a negative effect on the public’s trust in the institution? How can the public trust what they cannot even access? 

Experts question the long-term effects of the paywall strategy. In an article on Axios, the chair of NYU’s Department of Media, Culture, and Communication, Rodney Benson, says that "in this commercial environment, quality is being supported by paying audiences," said Rodney Benson, chair of "In this commercial environment, quality is being supported by paying audiences. Obviously, long-term, this is going to have tremendously negative civic effects. We're already experiencing those effects” (Fisher, 2022).  

With more information retreating behind a paywall, some academia and media opinion leaders are growing concerned, particularly in regard to information equity. The Axios article in this week’s reading points to a survey of media leaders showing concern that paying for content is only benefiting wealthier, more educated audiences. Tying information to a dollar amount, according to Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and founder of Factcheck.org, creates a situation where “the problem is that we can't have so much behind paywalls, that the public that can't afford to break through” (Fisher, 2022).  

In addition, as technology only becomes increasingly more sophisticated, can economic and location choices keep information out of the public’s hands? With the introduction of 5G (and the potential for even more technological advances past that), the way we receive information is rapidly changing. But according to Simon Lockington’s article, “The Future of 5G: What Will the Impact Be?”, the broadband infrastructure needed to harness this technology is either inaccessible to people in many rural areas, or unaffordable to people with specific incomes (Lockington, 2019).  

If the public does not even have ready access to information, whether because of a lack of funds or access to technology, a pathway to establishing or reestablishing trust would be almost impossible to chart.  

Show me the money 

Saving local news outlets is my final suggestion for increasing public trust in journalism. Local news is the first step in holding local government accountable, and it is the first exposure people have to the institution of the press. Local news is also more likely to be reflective of the community, which in turn creates a stronger bond between the reading public and the institution. But local news is in trouble—decreased circulation and advertising revenue have led to many local papers being sold to larger corporations, stripping away the local community connection and sometimes creating a product that is not reflective of the community it serves. In our readings this week, creating non-profit funding groups and government tax incentives to save local newspapers was suggested as a solution.  

These solutions would be excellent if objectivity were included in this funding solution as well. It does no good to have a foundation board that attempts to dictate the content of the newspapers it funds or to tie any funding to stipulations about content. The same problem could exist with tax incentives, and the government would have to acknowledge that it could not allow its association with funding to influence the content that papers produced. I typically agree with using tax incentives to fire up industry but see an ethical grey area in using government funds to help bolster an institution that’s purpose is holding said government accountable.  

Overall, the problem of distrust in the news is one that needs to be acknowledged and assessed impartially, with steps being made as soon as possible to correct.  

References:  

Fisher, S. (2022, January 11). “Media experts sound alarm on rise of paywalled content.” Axios. https://www.axios.com/media-startups-subscriptions-elite-401b9309-404e-482b-9e23-718f9daea3a6.html 

Lockington, S. (2019, February 13). “The Future of 5G: What Will the Impact Be?” Equinx Interconnections. https://blog.equinix.com/blog/2019/02/13/the-future-of-5g-what-will-the-impact-be/ 

Sillars, L. (2019, March). “The Future of News.” First Things. https://www.firstthings.com/article/2019/03/the-future-of-news