Andrew Checchia, a young journalist at NewsJunkie.net, requested an interview with me about the current state of American journalism. So here are my thoughts about the Fourth Estate’s role in democracy, our supposedly dwindling trust in media, the ongoing cult of amateurism in journalism and Trump’s successful merging of news and entertainment.
Here are the five KEEN ON AMERICA takeaways from my interview with Checchia:
* The Fourth Estate's Role in Democracy
* I present journalism not as a formal branch of government but as a consequence of democracy
* I believe journalism is necessary for a functioning democracy but I certainly don’t think people can or should be forced to consume news
* I defend "elite" journalism, comparing it to other professional fields like medicine or law
* Trust in Media
* I argue that while trust in journalism has declined, people who pay for subscriptions to The New York Times or Wall Street Journal likely trust those sources
* I suggest (duh) the real problem isn't with journalism itself but with broader social, educational and cultural problems
* I argue that traditional newspapers provide understood biases, while social media offers no way to determine credibility or truth
* Digital Media and Amateurism
* I discuss how the internet has disrupted traditional media through Web 2.0 style platforms like Craigslist (which decimated local newspapers)
* I’m skeptical about most nonprofit news experiments, believing they only preach to the converted
* New platforms like Substack, I argue, tend to create a winner-take-all economy rather than supporting a new middle class of journalists
* Politics and Entertainment
* I note how politics and entertainment have now totally collapsed together in American culture
* I discuss how Trump treated politics like reality television, serializing it for an audience already comfortable with this type of medium
* I believe people have become addicted to narrative forms derived from reality television and serialized Netflix style shows
* Future Outlook
* While careful about making predictions, I suggest the current bizarre political situation cannot continue indefinitely
* I express cautious optimism about younger generations, believing they've been unfairly written off and will eventually take power
* I note a pathetic, “Schumeresque” gerontocratic quality in American politics that needs complete overhaul
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