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A.P. To Distribute Nonprofits' Investigative Journalism
The NY Times is reporting on the Associated Press's decision to distribute the investigative journalism of four nonprofit groups. This ought to benefit both struggling newspapers, which have cut investigative staff, and the nonprofits where, we can hope, many of those laid-off journalists are plying their trade. It's refreshing to see this kind of forward thinking coming out of an organization not normally known for its progressiveness. "Starting on July 1, the A.P. will deliver work by the Center for Public Integrity, the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, the Center for Investigative Reporting, and ProPublica to the 1,500 American newspapers that are A.P. members, which will be free to publish the material. The A.P. called the arrangement a six-month experiment that could later be broadened to include other investigative nonprofits, and to serve its nonmember clients, which include broadcast and Internet outlets."
From the article:
Lets all take a cue from Woodward and Bernstein, who all these J school grads aspire to emulate - follow the money. These groups are being funded by people with agendas, just like the media they purport to study/critique.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
Newspaper content already tends to be interchangeable as regards many news stories. How is this going to help make newspaper content more unique?
I mention him higher up, although not in the same light. In my opinion Woodward and Bernstein form the root of the current rot in journalism - The idea that the journalist should be the story. Every J-school grad wants to be the one who brings down a President, not because of any sense of justice, but because they want to be powerful and important. That may or may not have been what drove W & B (I believe more in the former than the latter), but it surely drives those who came after, and even theri contemporaries.
As soon as journalists started viewing themselves as the 4th branch of government instead of a profession that served that role, they became part of the problem.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
We all agree the news is biased. Some say it has a left wing bias, others a right wing bias, and we all experience a little of both. Yet the stereotype of activist/journalist who willingly manipulates the facts to get their point across is untrue for most journalist's I've observed (save the obvious Bill O'Reileys of the world).
Recognize that a journalist's job is tough. It's up to them to get the facts, and nobody is willing to talk. People naturally distrust reporters, and their first instinct is to keep quiet. They don't want to be bothered by journalists. It's a hassle.
But in the end, the journalist has to get the facts. So they get quotes from anybody willing to speak to them. And usually, the only people willing to speak to journalists are those with an ideology to spread. Someone with an interest in how the news gets reported.They volunteer to be interviewed.
That's where most bias comes from: Not the reporters, but their sources. So naturally, if a bunch of non profits "generously contribute the news they've gathered" you can bet half of those groups are doing it to manipulate the news in their favor.
The fate of newspapers is vitally important to every Westerner. Newspapers have long served as the 4th branch of government. They are our eyes and ears in keeping us informed of the operation of our government. Without the in-depth investigative reports by newspapers, the voters would be ignorant. An ignorant public is the 1st step to the establishment of an authoritarian society.
I agree with the first sentence, I use to agree with the second sentence. They no longer perform the third, and I agree with the 4th and believe it has arrived.
As for the last: "If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, therefore, maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual."
-Frank Herbert
The MSM has become so blinded by ideology, primaraly liberal on the left (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, BBC) and fanatical on the right (FNS, EIB) so that it is very hard to find objective, believable reporting. The MSM with the Anti-Bush and Obama worship elected this clown while once again ignoring the vast corruption, pay-to-play, and flat out payoffs in both houses of both parties. We are going to see 3-5% inflation by the end of the year due to current set of clowns. Was ABB (anybody but Bush) really what the American people wanted?
Newspapers sold out, that is the simple truth. When every story is written with bias, and then the editorial page is worse, it is just propoganda - not reporting. I only get the Sunday paper for the ads and coupons, certainly not for the "reporting."
So AP and and the rest, just keep sending me the inserts for the anti-itch, anti-fungal, spring and summer fresh, strawberry flavored coupons and if I have enough left over after lining the kitty box, I might actually read something out of your paper!
"I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
Regarding your last paragraph: wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.
The fate of JOURNALISM is vitally important to every Westerner. Newspapers may have been doing the job for over a century, and doing it well, but that does not mean that the concept of free and open journalism is inextricably tied to newspapers - it's just tied to them at the moment. And investigative journalism is a very new concept that nobody had ever really thought about before Watergate, and the newspapers don't actually spend that much money funding it - the majority of their reporting is still based on press releases and media scrums and interviews with easily accessible people.
I'm not saying there's no reason to want to support newspapers, but this whole "society will crumble without them" thing is crap. The spirit of inquiry and observation that led to the existence of newspapers in the first place will prevail, no matter what happens to existing organizations.