Journalism is facing the worst crisis of its history, with trust in the media at an all-time low. To recover the public’s confidence, journalism needs to rediscover the idea of honor.
Don’t laugh. There once was a time when journalists were capable of acting with honor — that is to say, of trying to tell the truth even if it hurt their own side. Yes, it seems inconceivable in light of the new, exhaustive series in the Columbia Journalism Review detailing the media’s corruption in spreading the Russia collusion hoax, not to mention the daily lies they tell. Even as the warehouse of evidence compiled by veteran journalist Jeff Gerth shows how badly the media botched Russiagate, and despite icon Bob Woodward’s efforts to shame his Washington Post colleagues for their lack of remorse and self-reflection, no one is coming forward with any apologies. Nobody is acting with honor.
[I think *integrity” is an even more important missing component, which Mark also mentions. You need integrity before honor, and integrity requires a distance from self-interest. Today’s media is entirely about self-interest — their preferred narratives, their feelings, their allies, their political objectives rather than fact-based reporting. It’s lazier to operate without integrity, and without integrity, you can’t even get to a sense of honor. One can always claim a sense of honor in advocating for a cause, but when you use journalism as a dodge to do so, there is no way to claim integrity in that effort. — Ed]
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