Newspaper ethics and the public: Is credibility gone forever?
It’s a catchy title, used at a recent journalism conference about a subject that has many newspaper people defensive about their craft and dark about their future.
Barely a week goes by without some high-profile plagiarism scandal, some serious ethics breach, some pundit payola problem. In writing obituaries for newspapers, critics cite an antiquated industry struck down by technology, bloggers, the Internet, bias, economics and politics.
Enough already.
Excuse me if I refuse to get too depressed about the future of the press. No, I’m not blind to the challenges facing the industry and the need to adapt to changes in our culture and society.
But if the issue is credibility and the question involves the public’s perception,then it seems essential to ask you, the public, what you think. That’s what I did with a group of readers who regularly comment on the paper. Their responses proved enlightening.
Is newspaper credibility gone forever? Some of you said yes.
“The public has been conditioned to believe those in the newspaper are incompetent, self-serving, vindictive, unethical, and just plain evil,” said Tim Danner of Cuyahoga Falls. “And any blunders made by a newspaper will continually strengthen that perception.”
Kathy Peters of Springfield Township pointed to a gadget-happy culture captivated with technology. “I am saying that, no matter what newspaper people do, the consumers have other sources from which to gather their news and other things to do that are perceived as more important than reading the newspaper.”
It’s not just newspapers, said Pat Sargent of Akron, but all institutions that face ethical challenges. “There are few sanctions against individuals or groups which lie and/or misrepresent for gain. There are too many agendas deemed more important than honesty, honor or ethics. Seems as though ethics is on a continuum and America is sliding toward the low end.”
Of the nearly 100 readers who submitted comments, however, fully 75 percent said their trust in newspapers remained high, though many expressed caution about the future.
“No, credibility is not lost forever.” said Vicki Boatright of Dellroy. “I believe that, every now and again, we have to have shake-ups in revered institutions to prove that they are not invincible. But it does not mean that they are destroyed or lost. I consider the press to be a revered institution, and I believe that it will right itself.”
From Jim Kroeger of Fairlawn: “For the most part, the daily newspaper is still the last defense against the few in our community who behave badly, whether they be wayward public officials, unethical businesspersons, or those in the professions that abuse the trust of clients.”
Several of you suggested a return to the hard-hitting approach that made Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein synonymous with tough, investigative journalism.
“Let another Woodward and Bernstein revelation occur in responsible journalism and the press will regain its `darling’ status,” wrote Tom Baird of Stow. “Print isn’t dead. It’s just being shouted down by lowest-common-denominator media.”
Dale Harding of Akron wants more “reporters, editors and publishers who will say, `Damn the consequences! As long as the story is accurate, run it!’… I think it’s time to get the teeth back in the watchdog.”
For Dan Shortridge of Wooster, the national media scandals don’t affect credibility nearly as much as the need to keep newspaper content relevant. “Credibility WILL be gone soon if local and regional newspapers continue to succumb to the cult of fluff and celebrity `news’ that readers allegedly `want.’ ”
It’s not too late for newspapers, said Dick Freeman of Akron, but the loss of standing among readers is growing. “A ruthless self-examination is in order. I see no signs that newspapers are willing to take on this difficult and distasteful task.”
Before retiring in January, New York Times columnist William Safire urged news people to “cheer up.”
“America’s quality media are now wading through the Slough of Despond,” he wrote in The Depressed Press. “Our self-flagellation, hand-wringing and narcissism threaten our mission to act as a counterweight to government power.”
Safire’s exceptionally wise words should be heeded by every responsible editor and reporter, people who have a tendency to not only wring their hands, but pull their hair, shake their heads and point their fingers.
But the sky is not falling. Information that originates in print media continues to set the national and local conversation. Newspaper readers still want to trust, despite the scandals and never-ending attacks.
News of the print media’s demise has been greatly exaggerated.
