Media is crucial for society though trust can be challenged

By Kayla Bennett, kb084519@ohio.edu

Photo provided via The Washington Post's website.

Journalists are intended and expected to uphold the First Amendment; however, with the power of media and the history of the truth being misconstrued, media consumers find themselves at odds with what to believe.

Often, a distrust of journalism is stemmed from incidents that have happened in the past. "The Elements of Journalism" by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel talks about how media consumption by the public is done out of hopes it will come from ethical sources that are in public interests. 

In the words of Kovach and Rosenstiel, journalism is meant to be independent, reliable, accurate, and comprehensive. However, without these qualities, one is led to lack trust in their news sources.

In an article from Forbes by Andy Meek, it is noted that "fewer Americans than ever before trust the mainstream media," earning the title of the article. Despite controversy over the death of conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, Meek mentions that the media forgot to mention his death goes hand in hand with "a moment when fewer people than ever trust traditional media."

The story discusses how over half of Americans said they agree that journalists and reporters are purposely trying to mislead rather than inform. However, this is struggling journalists are trying to overcome, even though it's hard to do in the day and age of political turmoil.

Understanding why citizens do not trust media is the first step in a long battle to create a strong democracy once again. In a video from Forbes, Glenn Greenwald, an American journalist, talks about why people distrust the media. He said it stems from a said "sugar-high," induced by Donald Trump while in office, now is gone. 

 

Greenwald speaks about the impact one misstep can have on the success of publications, big and small. 

To preserve American democracy, media professionals need to educate the public on what journalism is at its core. Understanding the role of citizens in media is a foundational piece in knowing what type of journalism to produce and predicting what kind of reactions will be caused. However, journalism is not shaped by a perfect market.

Kovach and Rosenstiel spoke on some topics journalists should try to follow. Some include "A Culture of Honesty" and "Building Intellectual Diversity is the Real Goal."

There must be a division between politics and truth to trust the media, for distrust comes from media only covering one side of a story. Journalism is meant to be challenged but not to the extent that the trust is no longer there.

Upholding the First Amendment while staying true to honesty will only help strengthen and nurture the positive knowledge the public has left for journalists.