Opinion

Debating How and Why Journalists Do What They Do

‘After listening to the real-life stories of real-life Polish journalists, I wasn’t so dogmatic or judgmental.’

Looking at American Journalism From the Outside In

‘As journalists struggle to report on and understand their times, they cannot escape being part of their times.’

Spin Alley: A Microcosm of Journalism’s Struggles

Will reporters end this ritual and regain the trust of their audience in their 2006 and 2008 political coverage?

Why Won’t Journalists Follow the Money?

By not revealing the funders behind ‘think tanks,’ the information they provide shouldn’t be considered credible by readers.

Ethical Journalism Is Not an Oxymoron

In ethical decision-making journalists compare ‘very favorably with those who work in other professions.’

Reporters Weigh the Value of Information Against the Threat of Legal Action

‘… no one should underestimate the ability of fear and sophisticated sound bites—otherwise known as propaganda—to shape the public mood.’

Loving and Doubting Journalism at the Same Time

A University of Missouri survey of public attitudes toward journalism reveals a complex pattern of responses.

Why Objectivity Still Matters

‘Precisely because we understand our [human] maintaining the pursuit of objectivity.’

Why the First Amendment (and Journalism) Might Be in Trouble

‘Only 51 percent of 9th to 12th graders agree that newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories ….

Journalism and the Public Interest

‘… an old-time journalist finds it a matter of sorrow that the press, at the height of its influence, is at a depth of its public approval.’