The "Why" for Saving Journalism

Yesterday I attended the Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism at Tufts, where Chris Matthews of Hardball, Michael Dukakis and Janet Wu of WCVB-TV Boston were speaking to the topic, "Digging Too Deeply? Headlines, Politics, and Public Service."

We were treated to a live version of Hardball, complete with arguing and wisecracks from Matthews. Among the highlights:

Dukakis: If you're going to be a public servant, lead a good, conventional sex life
Matthews: Tell us, please, exactly what is a good, conventional sex life.

But on a more serious note, the conversation was eye-opening because the social, political and philosophical issues at hand often get buried beneath the deafening conversation about the economic future of the press. We talk endlessly about how to save journalism, yet surprisingly little of the dialogue acknowledges a crucial reason why journalism merits saving; there is a deep linkage between effective journalism and effective democracy. A society without a diligent press as societal watchdog is not a place many of us would like to be.

I recently read Paul Starr's excellent essay "Goodbye to the Age of Newspapers (Hello to a New Era of Corruption)" in which he argues that the press' economic woes are compromising the ability to blow the whistle on public and private abuses alike. I agree, but I was interested to see what the three Murrow Forum panelists felt about Starr's conclusions. It turns it out wasn't much of a question; all three agreed immediately that a cash-strapped press corps means that more will slip through the cracks. Michael Dukakis offered an interesting take on the issue, explaining that he actually finds the press today far more brutal and thorough than when he started in politics 30 years ago. However, he did express fears that today's level of scrutiny is in danger. .

No one is denying that the business question is crucial (although journalists sometimes like to gloss over it akin to a ostrich sticking its head in the sand). But because the business angle is my primary interest, the Murrow forum discussion was for me a welcome reminder of the larger social and political issues surrounding newspapers' decline- the why, not just how, for saving journalism.