This is a great idea. I think it would be interesting to create a body that would review news organizations as to their adherence to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and also would work with the International Fact Checking Network to access the quality of their reporting.
Not looking for a "court" myself. Looking for something different from fact-checkers, too, since the whole concept behind the idea of fact-checking, and especially the idea of "vaccinating" against misinformation, per philosophy from Hume on and other things, is misconceived. https://socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2023/01/vaccinate-against-misinformation-we.html
It almost sounds like Dick is talking about an industry-wide ombudsman program or something. That could help in some ways. If so, I think it needs to involve the wires, not just individual newspapers. Even if not a national ombudsman program, in other ways, whatever idea is being viewed, it may need to include the wires.
I'm registering a mild dissent, not because I disagree with the concept and intent of a news council, but because of doubts about the practical impact. Suppose such a news council did adjudicate the accusations by Uri Berliner that a liberal bias compromised the integrity of National Public Radio's journalism. Perhaps a news council would investigate (using methods akin to what The Washington Post's Erik Wemple used for one of his media columns [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/04/18/npr-russia-coverage-berliner/] but more professorily). Based on the available information, it might conclude that the essence of Berliner's criticisms about liberal bias is unfounded, but there are inconsistencies in coverage that NPR should more effectively guard against. In other words, NPR's reporting process, and attendant flaws, are not significantly different from those of 90% of the nation's largest mainstream newsrooms. The report could well be informative, clarifying, insightful—yet thoroughly unsatisfying to the chattering class. That would be especially true if the council did not have a smart balance of industry insiders and outside stakeholders who understand firsthand the impact news reporting has on audiences and communities. A news council could offer teachable moments for people who don't fully understand or have misperceptions about how journalism organizations work—and we sure do need some teachable moments. But we also need a wholesale shift in the trust between the journalism industry and the public, and building that two-way street will need a whole lot more than reports from a news council.
With all due respect, virtues like objectivity and balance would entail the barest curiosity which allows for the possibility that a Republican like Agnew or Trump or heretics like Bennet and Berliner might have a point in their criticisms of the current state of the press. Predominant liberal bias and its attendant partisan gamesmanship has undermined the press and poisoned the public's affection for it. Appointing the institutional leaders who have brought this state of affairs about in order to pass rulings on it is doubling down on the problem. The herdlike legacy press has become sterile through inbreeding. Fresh blood, fresh ideas, along with a fulsome critique of the institution are the only things that can preserve it at this point.
Love the idea. Not wild about deans or "broadly distinguished, deeply experienced people" as the arbiters at the helm. See: Disaster over implementation of the new New York State law to fund journalism. See: Collapse of the mainstream local and regional news industry after distinguished experienced people created a self-important self-reinforcing elite corporate chain model of "respectable" journalism in the last quarter of the 20th century that crumbled the moment the internet pulled the inefficient monopolistic advertising model that supported obscene profits out from under it
Thanks, Paul. I certainly have focused on messes like the two you cite. But if you love the idea, would you have a Council be composed of undistinguished or inexperienced people? And have you looked at who's holding journalism deanships these days? In many key places (e.g. Columbia, Medill, Berkeley, CUNY), it's hardly the status quo crowd
Good points for sure! I know there's the danger of damning expertise and substituting worse alternatives without standards. It all comes down to who chooses, I guess. I'd just like to see people more from the trenches who have done the job honestly over time but not necessarily within the confines of what was previously considered "legitimate" journalism be truly in the mix. I do think it's important to have standards. The Catch-22 being the problems that ensue when a select group sets those standards. Great column as always!
Off topic overall, but to part of your comment? On dinero, and something that would help smaller outlets much more, since the start of COVID, the idea of the Ad Council placing print ads instead of "brain on drugs" teevee stuff has been kicked around. Would like to see that become a reality.
Great idea!
Great idea. When do we start?
Great idea needed now more than ever
This is a great idea. I think it would be interesting to create a body that would review news organizations as to their adherence to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and also would work with the International Fact Checking Network to access the quality of their reporting.
Not looking for a "court" myself. Looking for something different from fact-checkers, too, since the whole concept behind the idea of fact-checking, and especially the idea of "vaccinating" against misinformation, per philosophy from Hume on and other things, is misconceived. https://socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2023/01/vaccinate-against-misinformation-we.html
It almost sounds like Dick is talking about an industry-wide ombudsman program or something. That could help in some ways. If so, I think it needs to involve the wires, not just individual newspapers. Even if not a national ombudsman program, in other ways, whatever idea is being viewed, it may need to include the wires.
I'm registering a mild dissent, not because I disagree with the concept and intent of a news council, but because of doubts about the practical impact. Suppose such a news council did adjudicate the accusations by Uri Berliner that a liberal bias compromised the integrity of National Public Radio's journalism. Perhaps a news council would investigate (using methods akin to what The Washington Post's Erik Wemple used for one of his media columns [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/04/18/npr-russia-coverage-berliner/] but more professorily). Based on the available information, it might conclude that the essence of Berliner's criticisms about liberal bias is unfounded, but there are inconsistencies in coverage that NPR should more effectively guard against. In other words, NPR's reporting process, and attendant flaws, are not significantly different from those of 90% of the nation's largest mainstream newsrooms. The report could well be informative, clarifying, insightful—yet thoroughly unsatisfying to the chattering class. That would be especially true if the council did not have a smart balance of industry insiders and outside stakeholders who understand firsthand the impact news reporting has on audiences and communities. A news council could offer teachable moments for people who don't fully understand or have misperceptions about how journalism organizations work—and we sure do need some teachable moments. But we also need a wholesale shift in the trust between the journalism industry and the public, and building that two-way street will need a whole lot more than reports from a news council.
With all due respect, virtues like objectivity and balance would entail the barest curiosity which allows for the possibility that a Republican like Agnew or Trump or heretics like Bennet and Berliner might have a point in their criticisms of the current state of the press. Predominant liberal bias and its attendant partisan gamesmanship has undermined the press and poisoned the public's affection for it. Appointing the institutional leaders who have brought this state of affairs about in order to pass rulings on it is doubling down on the problem. The herdlike legacy press has become sterile through inbreeding. Fresh blood, fresh ideas, along with a fulsome critique of the institution are the only things that can preserve it at this point.
Love the idea. Not wild about deans or "broadly distinguished, deeply experienced people" as the arbiters at the helm. See: Disaster over implementation of the new New York State law to fund journalism. See: Collapse of the mainstream local and regional news industry after distinguished experienced people created a self-important self-reinforcing elite corporate chain model of "respectable" journalism in the last quarter of the 20th century that crumbled the moment the internet pulled the inefficient monopolistic advertising model that supported obscene profits out from under it
Thanks, Paul. I certainly have focused on messes like the two you cite. But if you love the idea, would you have a Council be composed of undistinguished or inexperienced people? And have you looked at who's holding journalism deanships these days? In many key places (e.g. Columbia, Medill, Berkeley, CUNY), it's hardly the status quo crowd
Good points for sure! I know there's the danger of damning expertise and substituting worse alternatives without standards. It all comes down to who chooses, I guess. I'd just like to see people more from the trenches who have done the job honestly over time but not necessarily within the confines of what was previously considered "legitimate" journalism be truly in the mix. I do think it's important to have standards. The Catch-22 being the problems that ensue when a select group sets those standards. Great column as always!
Off topic overall, but to part of your comment? On dinero, and something that would help smaller outlets much more, since the start of COVID, the idea of the Ad Council placing print ads instead of "brain on drugs" teevee stuff has been kicked around. Would like to see that become a reality.