The Press Vs. The Media

Romenesko led me to this post in American University's The Eagle blog, which dovetails nicely with some of the reading I've been doing for the social roles class this week.

In a recent visit to the AU campus, Dan Rather articulated a distinction between "the press" and "the media." The press focuses on news with a constitutional mission at its core -- i.e., the press as watchdog -- while the media's coverage of news is designed to generate profit.

"We can't let journalism sacrifice itself on the altar of entertainment," he said.

There's some irony in Rather's comments, of course, given his departure from CBS after concerns were raised about documents he used on "60 Minutes" to question President George W. Bush's National Guard record. The former anchor couldn't resist a dig at CBS head Les Moonves for "sleazing up" the venerable news show after Rather left.

Still, I say "amen" to his take on press vs. media.

Truth Is Hard

"You can't handle the truth," a character played by Jack Nicholson famously proclaimed in the movie "A Few Good Men." The same can be said for all too many reporters.

Getting to the truth takes work. It's time-consuming. It involves digging through paperwork, archives and files. It means more interviews and more sources. It requires tough questions, often of authority figures. And it can be very unpopular.

But the truth is out there (thank you, "X-Files").

In "The Elements of Journalism," authors Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel suggest looking at journalistic truth as "a process ... or continuing journey toward understanding - that begins with the first story and builds over time. For instance, the first news stories signal a new event or trend. They may begin with an account of something simple - a meeting or a car accident. The time and place of the accident, the damage done, the types of vehicles, arrests, unusual weather or road conditions - in effect, the physical externalities of the case - are facts that can be recorded and checked.

"Once they have verified the facts," Kovach and Rosenstiel continue, "reporters try to convey a fair and reliable account of their meaning, valid for now, subject to further investigation."

Then comes the second story, in which sources respond and fill in the blanks. That leads to a third story. And so on. "Context is added in each successive layer," the authors write.

It strikes me that this wouldn't be a bad way to teach student journalists how to move from reporting news to finding truth. A series, each story building upon the last, might be less intimidating a prospect than a ginormous investigative piece.

The Awareness Instinct

"People crave news out of basic instinct -- what we call the Awareness Instinct. They need to know what is going on over the next hill, to be aware of events beyond their direct experience. Knowledge of the unknown gives them security; it allows them to plan and negotiate their lives. Exchanging this information becomes the basis for creating community, making human connections." -- Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, "The Elements of Journalism"

Sometimes this means the audience wants to know all about Lindsey Lohan or Charlie Sheen. And sometimes this means the audience wants to know why 29 people were killed in a mining explosion, or what pushed a deeply troubled young man to open fire at a congresswoman's "meet the people" event.

I can work with that audience.

Return of the Devil Machine

I managed three whole posts (two of which I've deleted) before abandoning this blog. Now I'm reviving it to comply with a requirement for another course in my master's program. It's safe to say that this time, I'll last at least a couple of months. Grades are a wonderful motivator ...