(iverson's) currentbuzz: When Journalism became transcription...

This is from a Media Post story about Bill Moyers new documentary "Buying the War" which is now online for you to watch. There is supporting material on the site, such as a slideshow and timeline. Reporters used to come from the same place as regular people. When they work for large media companies, and not for companies who realize the double nature of journalism -- as the 4th Estate, they become stars and are beholden. The last thing a good journalist can be is beholden to the big boys. I say, turn to the community/citizen outlets (and in the interest of transparency, I will tell you I am running one in Chicago, creatingcommunityconnections.org.)

So rather than, say, do the real work of reporting news, journalism has become a profession that is almost entirely about PR, transcription and packaging Establishment spin for news copy. This is why, for example, many of the highest-profile political “journalists” like Joe Klein and David Broder never bother to actually report anything anymore - but instead spend most of their time pontificating on horse race polls and campaign gossip, expecting us to believe that’s real “news.”
Source: mediachannel.org

All I can say personally, is that is why, even as a journalism educator I don't watch TV news or give it much credit as "news" or "journalism." This reminds me of Studs Terkel's great line about embedded reporters -- he claimed it was his age and infirmity, but he thought they had called themselves "in bed with" journalists...

Beinart admits that despite his preening around as an expert, he’d never actually been to Iraq, but nonetheless insists that he is “a political journalist.” So Moyers naturally asks that as a “political journalist” what kind of reporting did he do to make sure his prewar cheerleading was substantively sound. Here’s Beinart’s answer:

“Well, I was doing mostly, for a large part it was reading, reading the statements and the things that people said. I was not a beat reporter. I was editing a magazine and writing a column. So I was not doing a lot of primary reporting. But what I was doing was a lot of reading of other people’s reporting and reading of what officials were saying.”

Source: mediachannel.org

Ha, ha, remember the Firesign's line, "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV," and another favorite is Dr. Science, who tells us over and over, I'm not a doctor-- I have a masters in science. So don't these pompous "commentators" come off like, "I'm not a reporter, I play one at press conferences." What journalism doesn't need is another syncophant lickspittle apologist for the rich and powerful.

journalism was about sifting through the B.S. in order to challenge power and hold the Establishment accountable. Bill Moyers and the folks I’ve gotten to know at McClatchy Newspapers who Moyers highlights show that that long tradition still exists. But the fact that they are such rare exceptions to the rule also show that the incentive system in journalism today is to reward not the people who challenge power, but the people who worship it

Source: mediachannel.org

This is why Murrow and some of the pioneers of early broadcasting like Harry Skornia wanted the airwaves to be "common carriers" not the personal province of monied interests. Telecomm reform in the 80s by both Republican and Democrat interest groups worked to put the broadcast and media channels out to bid to the ones who could pay the most. When GE buys the company you work for, how critical can you be of weapons manufacture and other businesses they own. Net neutrality is a key issue if there is to be any non-capitalist dominated discourse in the USA.