The Listener Speaks

Recently, but prior to the COVID-19 crisis, I saw a meme that said, “It used to be that the media reported the news, and we had to form an opinion based on the reports. Now the media tells us their opinion, and we have to figure out if the events actually happened or not.”

If you’ve read many of my blog posts, especially of late, you know that I do hold political positions, though not die-hard political affiliations. I work to be an informed member of society. It has always taken some work, but I believe it takes more work now than perhaps in times past.

That being said, politics as a topic bores me. I have rarely watched a State of the Union address, and I have likely never watched one from beginning to end, regardless of who was Commander in Chief.

In the past week, I have spent more time watching news conferences held by the President of the United States (POTUS) than I have likely spent listening to or reading about politics over the last several years.

Why?

It’s not because I am obsessed with the coronavirus. I have concerns like everyone else, and I have questions like everyone else. But I know those concerns can only be addressed to the extent that I take the measures that are within my power to take, and my most pressing questions, like many of yours, really have no answers right now.

I follow Vice President Mike Pence on Twitter so, more often now, when I get those notifications that indicate that a press conference is taking place, I watch on my phone. I watch so that I can hear what the POTUS has said for myself, so that I don’t have to read what Daily Wire said, or what MSNBC said that NBC said that he said.

As I have watched the press conferences, I’ve been somewhat fascinated with the media members who are present and asking questions. Though I have not watched every minute of every press conference, I’ve started to recognize those who are frequently in attendance, perhaps members of the White House press corps, and to recognize patterns among certain members of the media.

Some of the patterns I’ve noticed fall among age lines, interestingly enough. The older members of the press seem to ask questions based on what they have just heard, and sometimes based on things that they have likely researched in advance of the press conference. Their questions indicate to me that they are listening and are able to quickly formulate ideas that lead them to further questions.

The younger reporters seem to be asking questions that are more leading, sometimes accusatory, and even divisive as was the case in today’s press conference.

Ater the President challenged a reporter based on the tone and intent of his questions, both he and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were asked about their right to challenge or to chastise the media. Secretary Pompeo simply dismissed the journalist who had asked him by saying something to the affect of, “Is there a question?”

As a former member of the staff of a local newspaper, I am familiar with the concept of journalistic integrity. I know little about Mike Pompeo, though I am aware that some people sincerely dislike him. Regardless, I believe that Pompeo was entirely correct when, asked again about the message that the POTUS was sending to the world with his “calling out” an American journalist, Pompeo said that it is the responsibility of the media to listen to what is being said and to report it to the American people as accurately as possible.

Members of the media have a responsibility to do exactly that, to report the facts as they are presented, unless that person is writing an opinion piece that is clearly denoted as such.

It does not matter how much the members of the media like the person with whom they are interacting, how much they support or oppose the issues they are covering, or how different they think things should look. They have the right to their private affiliations, opinions, and voting practices. But when acting in their roles as journalists, they have one job to do.

The responsibility does not fall entirely on the journalists. With so many media outlets the competition to be first or most recognized has led to unethical behaviors: sensationalism, click-bait headlines, “gotcha” questions that lead to “lies” revealed. These journalists, the young and aspiring especially, fall into line with the culture of their employers. In today’s environment, journalistic integrity can be a career hazard.

As a person who writes a blog post to an audience of perhaps 25 and does freelance work as the opportunity arises, I may seem bitter. On the contrary, it has never been my aspiration to sit in the White House press corps. It has always been my desire to make a difference in my corner of the world. Certainly I would like my writing to be more a part of that, but I have found other ways through which I can accomplish that mission.

People often correctly say that we should be careful to get information from reliable sources, especially in times of crisis. Some journalists today took exception to the President’s insinuation that some of them may not be reliable sources of information. His comments, his reactions, and his response to this crisis in general are topics for a different time.

My point in this blog post is that we have a great deal of power over what information we accept as reliable. Whether in a time of crisis or not, we need to be discerning. We need to be curious. We need to be critical thinkers.

Those who employ journalists should have expectations of them. The journalists should have expectations of themselves. Whether they do or not, we should have expectations of journalists.

Those who sit as members of the White House press corps, or have been granted access through other avenues, are expected to be among the most talented in their field. Talent alone does not tell the entire story of the worth of a person’s work. If members of the media cannot put aside their personal agendas, especially during a crisis such as this, and find their integrity, they likely have little if any to find.