Photo: A Journalist Interviewing a Young Lady, by Princebarak, Wikimedia Commons
As a journalism professor, I often talk with students about the purpose of journalism in a liberal democracy — which I assume the United States to be, at least aspirationally.
I start by explaining what I mean by liberal democracy. It’s a form of governance in which decisions are made based on the will of the people, in furtherance of values such as individual autonomy, equal rights, and justice under law, respect for people’s humanity, and the belief that we have the agency and responsibility to improve our society through civic participation.
Then we talk about why the practice of liberal democracy in the United States matters. It empowers us to achieve the more perfect union that’s envisioned in our Constitution, through the exercise of the five freedoms that are guaranteed in our First Amendment. I argue that the press is an indispensable civic institution, whose purpose in our democracy is to provide everyone with the information they need to make well-informed decisions about their needs and interests.
Of course, this is not an original argument. Political philosophers such as Thomas Jefferson, communication scholars, journalism professors, and journalists themselves have argued some variation of it for many years. But it’s important to center ourselves in this understanding of purpose, as we think about what’s next for journalism — not only in the coming year, but throughout the rest of the decade.
Young journalists, in particular, are deeply concerned about the future. They’re starting their lives in a time of social, political, economic, climatological, and technological disruptions. And they’re starting their careers in a turbulent industry marked by job precarity, an absence of well-being, horrific harassment, increasing threats and physical danger, and a conscienceless corporate focus on maximizing profits.
One way to cope with instability is to have a strong sense of who you are as a person and what your purpose is in life. Some people find these things in religion, or in other traditions. Others find them in philosophy, or through hardships, or in the company of others who share their life experiences.
Wherever you find your sense of purpose and identity, one of the most consequential ways to express it is through your job. Occupations are a means through which we can operationalize who we are and what we value every day. And so, the day after our national elections, with the knowledge that students were processing a range of emotions, I sent them a message to remind them of these things, in the context of journalism in the service of democracy:
I’ve told you since the first day of class that journalists have a lot of power. A lot of power. And if you didn’t understand it then, perhaps you do now. Journalists have tremendous power to inform or misinform, to be brutally honest or to slant, to represent or to misrepresent. And these are feelings felt by people across the political spectrum.
If you are happy with the way the election turned out, and you want to be a journalist, your job going forward is to report the news fairly, accurately, and transparently, and to hold power accountable.
If you are unhappy with the way the election turned out, and you want to be a journalist, your job going forward is to report the news fairly, accurately, and transparently, and to hold power accountable.
Notice how your job is the same either way. And that will never change. Journalism is about truthfully reporting on the state of the world and its implications, and holding power accountable.
And the positive responses to this that I received from students, faculty, and journalists themselves are the basis for the following prediction for journalism.
The newest generation of journalists will not give in to pessimism about whether their profession still matters in an age of cynicism about the press. While they understand how journalism has failed our society, they also know that people who are committed to producing journalism in the public interest have the power to help to repair it.
They are not naively optimistic. The pandemic and other recent events of historical significance have cured them of much of their innocence. They have a level of anxiety that should impress the members of the acerbic generation once defined in part by Prozac Nation, who know their clonazepam and citalopram from their fluoxetine and Wellbutrin.
Nor should we, as scholars like Nik Usher warn, romanticize the effects of journalism on our democracy, as many factors influence its health and energy. But experiencing the stings of leadership and policy errors in 21st-century America has led students to pursue callings whose purpose is to ameliorate them. They want to do the work of reimagining journalism to be more relevant and responsive to the needs of their generation and society — and in the coming years, they will. For them, the cause of a press that serves a useful role in U.S. democracy endures.
The Journalist’s Creed was written by the first dean of the Missouri School of Journalism, Walter Williams. More than one century later, his declaration remains one of the clearest statements of the principles, values and standards of journalists throughout the world. Plaques bearing the creed are on display at the School, the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. (since 1958), and many other locations around the world.
I believe in the profession of journalism.
I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of a lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust.
I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.
I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true.
I believe that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is indefensible.
I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentleman; that bribery by one’s own pocketbook is as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another’s instructions or another’s dividends.
I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and cleanness should prevail for all; that the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.
I believe that the journalism which succeeds best – and best deserves success – fears God and honors Man; is stoutly independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power, constructive, tolerant but never careless, self-controlled, patient, always respectful of its readers but always unafraid; is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance and, as far as law and honest wage and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world-comradeship; is a journalism of humanity, of and for today’s world.
