Opinion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘… 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.’

The excerpt that follows appears in the conclusion to the Iowa Law Review article written by Randall P. Bezanson and Gilbert Cranberg. RELATED ARTICLE“Introducing a New Concept Into Libel Law”–…

‘The seeds of public distrust were sown long before the recent round of scandals.’