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What’s become of the 4th Estate?

According to the founder of gonzo journalism, the late Hunter S. Thompson, “Journalism is a low trade and a habit worse than heroin, a strange seedy world of misfits and drunkards and failures.”

I still can’t figure out how at a very impressionable age I read that quote and found the mystical inspiration to pursue  that as a career. Maybe it’s because I have a little bit of a misfit, a drunkard and a failure deep inside my being... then again, don’t we all.

Back in the day (as us old people love to say) our 4th Estate was a bright honest light, shining the truth by such respected men as Cronkite, Brinkley, Russert, Novak, Sinclair, Hersh, Woodward and Bernstein. They researched, fact-checked, verified sources and followed the creed “If your own mother says she loves you, check and verify it.”

They followed AP style manuals and wrote in the inverted pyramid format. They had corroborating sources, fact checkers and something called integrity. If you got a story wrong you were run out of the unforgiving business.

Journalists today are comedians, fashion bloggers, you-tubers, sons of millionaire fashion icons. They’re more concerned with fame and celebrity than getting to the truth. They know outrageous claims and salacious stories brings followers, likes, retweets and shares. They know this gets them closer to celebrity. They’re not seeking fame to better their access so they can uncover more truths in the world, they know fame brings endorsements and money.

And sometimes these days it isn't even about money. Sometimes it’s about propaganda. You see objectivity is out the window. Many so called modern journalists seems to be advancing an agenda, seeking out the facts to support their narrative. The left has their news outlets, the right have theirs, and consumers tend to focus on the ones that appeal to their beliefs... whether the facts are correct or not.

The lines between news and editorial aren’t just blurred anymore they’re obliterated! Opinion is fact and facts no longer matter. I used to love reading Mike Royko and Jimmy Breslin. They were smart, funny, great writers and topical. However I never opened the newspaper to Royko’s column to find out all the facts about a news event. I went to see what he thought about that event. Unlike today where people watch the Daily Show or listen to Rush Limbaugh to find out the unbiased news of the day.

As news-consumers the public’s thirst for news and hunger for information has fueled this change. Technology has given all of access to it like we never have before. The profiteers have been attracted to the light as they follow the swarm of people to social media, blogs, cable news etc. 

More people are consuming news and information than at any other time in our history, however we’re less informed. We have immediate access to facts and figures yet we’re more easily manipulated.

Technology has brought great advancements to the access of information, so on the surface it can be a very positive tool. However, we must find ways to harness the power of these tools in a positive way to bring back some respectability to the great profession of journalism.

I studied journalism in the late 80′s. I practiced journalism in the early 90′s and since then I’ve referred to myself as a recovering journalist. 

I believe journalism is like a river. Overtime it may appear the same, but the years change it. Time erodes the banks, changes the wildlife, develops sediment and continually cuts itself deeper and deeper into the earth. 

I’m hoping as journalism develops and grows in the future that the pendulum swings back a bit. I hope it will slow down the process and the news cycle. I hope people will use the new technology to demand integrity and truth rather than speed. I hope people will get back to seeking out objectivity, listening to both sides when it’s presented fairly and objectively, and rejecting facts unless they’re verified, cited and corroborated. 

It’s time for journalists to be trained again. For the public to insist their news is delivered by trained professionals, not anyone with an iPhone and a podcast. And yes, perhaps we need a few more of misfits, drunkards and failures who are more concerned with getting to the truth than getting famous!

[beargrob-blog]

Finding Your Way Home To The Front Porch

Every generation had a meeting place. Somewhere you could go to socialize, have a cold beverage and a warm conversation with friends, neighbors and strangers. These were social clubs, corner taverns, pool halls, diners and in my neighborhood the front porches of our city bungalows. I grew up in an amazing neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. The area was called Ashburn and while we were not rich in the traditional sense we were rich in tradition and friendships. The men were laborers, cops, electricians, firemen and the occasional salesman or banker. The women were mostly housewives or secretaries and all were moms. No matter what they did for a living or what part of the city they worked in they all had one thing in common... In good weather months they came home from work, ate dinner and headed outside to the front porch. This was where the events of the day were discussed and debated. This is where the “good old days” were boasted about and an off-color joke or two were told over a cold Old Style and a cigarette. On any given night an argument could break out about who could run faster or which team had better pitching or which mayor did the most for the union guys. The night always ended with a laugh, a yawn and a handshake along with a “see ya tomorrow fellas!” This blog is my way of being back to those evenings in some small, electronic way. I want to share my thoughts, bitch and complain a bit, tell a story or a joke, invite criticism and boast about my team, but most of all I want to get back to a time when we could have a conversation and debate without people going off the rails and getting personal. So enjoy the company, fun times and front porch conversations!