In journalism schools and newsrooms, reporters are routinely encouraged to demonstrate “balance” through the “he said, she said” approach to reporting – that is, simply allowing involved parties from all sides to present their view through quotes, without the journalist making any assessments or drawing conclusions. That approach works well enough for many stories – but not so well when the spin doctors are hard at work.
Recently in his Pressthink blog, NYU professor Jay Rosen pondered the main pitfall of “he said/she said” balance…
Rosen writes: “When journalists avoid drawing open conclusions, they are more vulnerable to charges of covert bias, of having a concealed agenda, of not being up front about their perspective, of unfairly building a case (for, against) while pretending only to report ‘what happened.’ From this angle, avoiding summary judgment doesn’t necessarily build confidence in your reporting; it may encourage them to attack you for tilting the boards, for denying you have a perpsective on things, for bias.”
Yes, I’ve witnessed this problem – most directly in the field of environmental journalism, regarding coverage of the science of climate change. In that case, even though there is now a pronounced scientific consensus regarding evidence of climate change, it’s always possible to find a naysayer scientist to present the opposing point of view. In this case, simple “he said/she said” coverage that avoids conclusions ignores the primacy of scientific consensus rather than certainty – and thus misrepresents the issue.
Rosen also notes, “[The news media] can [build] up greater authority as truthtellers, which might replace their diminished power as gatekeepers.”
Indeed, the advent of the Internet has vastly decreased the media’s traditional “gatekeeper” role, in good ways and bad. While some media observers prefer to wring their hands and long for the good old days of their virtual monopoly on the news, I think it’s better to face reality and adapt to changing times.
Here’s an example of constructive media adaptation: In a May 27 CJR Campaign Desk commentary, Susan Q. Stranahan recommended a new approach to political reporting, in light of the overwhelming level of spin present in this election season: “”He said/she said/we said.”
Absolutely! The news media can – and should – reclaim more of its direct voice.
In today’s media environment, traditional news organizations can offer the advantage of well-researched and well-reasoned analyisis, rather than simple reporting. News organizations’ talent for formulating and presenting weighty conclusions is now one of their key strengths in the evolving media landscape. They don’t need to be gatekeepers anymore. Rather, they can focus on being trusted guides.
If you liked my post, feel free to subscribe to my rss feeds
BlogoSquare