ANALYSIS/OPINION:
About this “gotcha journalism” business.
“The purpose of journalism is to provide people with the information they need to be free and self-governing,” from “The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Expect,” by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel.
In that pursuit, the journalist’s “first obligation is to the truth” and “its first loyalty is to citizens.” Journalists “must monitor power”; not give powerful people a platform. Too bad that the public, through no fault of its own, is having a hard time understanding the role of journalist in a free society.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for the audience to determine the difference between a reporter and a commentator, or even a hack for that matter. The latter, of course, being a paid mouthpiece for a particular party or agenda. The former practices “a discipline of verification.”
When ratings-hungry news outlets, especially in cableland, produce “talk is cheap” shows with pseudo “expert” panels, the viewers tend to think that everyone they see, hear or read, especially in the blogosphere, is a biased journalist. When newspapers set aside “fact checkers” in small boxes rather than challenge politicians’ stump speeches in main stories then the press sets itself up for criticism about accuracy and credibility.
So it becomes that much easier for spinmeisters to thrive and folks with hidden agendas to point fingers of “gotcha journalism” at those who actually do adhere to the principles and ethics of objective reportage.
Witness what happened to Gwen Ifill, the reputable PBS anchor and moderator of the vice-presidential debate on Thursday at Washington University in St. Louis. In the interest of full disclosure, Miss Ifill and I are acquaintances, but far short of close confidantes.
Conservative pundits tried to paint Miss Ifill as “in the tank” for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, because she is writing a book about the evolution of black politicians titled “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.” Of course, that historical journey bring us to the so-called “post racial” era of Mr. Obama’s candidacy.
Although the book, touted since last summer by her publisher, will be released the day of the inauguration of the next president, Miss Ifill said that she hasn’t even written the chapter on Mr. Obama.
The dust-up about Miss Ifill’s book and her ability to maintain her impartiality speaks not only about the inordinate pressure placed upon her, but also highlights the questions being raised about the impact of the press and its relentless 24-7 news cycle during this campaign.
One question being raised in the aftermath of the vice-presidential debate is not about the candidate’s performance but about the moderator’s performance. Was Miss Ifill as tough as she should have been on the candidates, keeping them on point, in light of the controversy surrounding her?
Some commentators argued that neither Republican Gov. Sarah Palin nor Democratic Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. committed any major gaffe, in part because Miss Ifill allowed a free-ranging atmosphere. In such a loose setting, it was too easy for the candidates to read from their talking points.
Miss Ifill may have been “intimidated and cowed by all this criticism or she could have just said let’s let [the candidates] hang themselves and let the audience judge. Since I haven’t asked her, I don’t know,” said Richard Prince, a veteran editor and media watchdog columnist at “Journal-isms” (https://mije.org/richardprince/).
Mr. Prince said, “gotcha journalism depends on who is defining it. It was played on Gwen, by these right-wingers, that’s for sure, particularly since she said the chapter [on Obama] has not been written.”
“It’s just another arsenal in the tactics of underhanded politics,” he said.
There was “no such thing as gotcha journalism when Katie Couric (CBS anchor) asked a question and when [Mrs. Palin] didn’t answer the question [Ms. Couric] just came back and asked it again firmly,” he said.
The other dynamic operating in the vice-presidential debate was the format, which allowed for less interaction between the vice-presidential candidates than had the presidential debate format. “So, if a candidate is going off topic, there is less opportunity to call them on it,” said Mr. Prince.
Mrs. Palin and Republican presidential candidate John McCain have been among those hurling charges of “gotcha journalism” lately. They don’t seem to appreciate the probing questions they have been asked, primarily about an unknown woman who seeks to become the vice president.
Mrs. Palin, who holds a broadcast journalism degree, should understand better than most the value of an informed public. Mr. McCain had no problem with the media until his favorable status appeared to fade.
Mr. Prince, who like me is charged with teaching budding journalists about media ethics, tells young journalists “to shed more light than heat.”
“We’re the ones who are supposed to illuminate the issues … and on anything that will affect how people will make their decisions when they go into the booth. We should be shedding light on all that stuff including the issue of how race is playing a role in the campaign,” he said.
Walter Williams, founding dean of the world’s first journalism school in the world at the University of Missouri, wrote more than a century ago, that “the public journal is a public trust” and “acceptance of a lesser interest than the public interest is a violation of that trust.”
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