I have said that the journalist should value the truth over everything at all times – not just when it’s convenient. Murrow mentions that sometimes journalists fill their heads and the heads of their viewers with “decadence, escapism and insulation”, and the truth does not live in any of these sins. People want to be coddled and comforted, and the easiest way to do that as a journalist is to dilute and insulate what really needs to be said with what the people think they want to hear. It does scare me that if I turn on the news or read an article that it may be a watered down version of what the truth is, and as I move forward in my career, I will do everything in my power to push the envelope -like Murrow – and make the news a source of pure illumination again.
That being said, the news industry has become a business and a competition. If an owner or media conglomerate has money, they ultimately have the influence and control of news content, which breaks apart any impartiality still left standing. This country has become a polarized one, so much so that moderates are discouraged from participation, which cuts out a large portion of the population. Now, news outlets are simply feeding to those who agree with them content that they will agree with, instead of content that will make them think a little bit more. There needs to be a separation of news and state, say, so that they still may be in a symbiotic relationship in terms of coverage in content, but they should not be able to influence each other’s views and agendas.
The Politico article does mention that the influence of plutocrats on the media has greatly decreased, but still, it exists. And it shouldn’t. Especially in a time when anyone can consume the news, not just those who can afford it. The article also says that Adelson and his family have not used their new acquisition to attempt to influence Nevada politics yet, but just the sheer fact that they have the capability to is still the problem here.
If readers see that the news is not being shared in an impartial way, like in the case of the Review-Journal covering casinos when its owner also owns casinos, they will be less likely to view the media – and the world – in an equally impartial way. It is comforting though that the journalists working at the paper are terrified because that means they still have the will to fight this and keep their content the way they want it to be.
The discussion with Lisa Abraham was a really interesting one and made me question the lengths I am willing to go to protect myself and my career. It’s hard for me to judge whether or not I would concede to the the manipulation of the law unless I was in a situation like her. I admire her decision and headstrong attitude towards her duty to the public, and I hope that I can do as she does once I enter the professional world.