Why Journalism Still Matters by Michael Schudson

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Why Journalism Still Matters 
Author: Michael Schudson 
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Polity; 1 edition (November 6, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781509528042
ISBN-13: 978-1509528042
ASIN: 1509528040
Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.9 x 8.6 inches

Synopsis

Can we talk about the news media without proclaiming journalism either our savior or the source of all evil? It is not easy to do so, but it gets easier if we put the problems and prospects of journalism in historical and comparative perspective, view them with a sociological knowledge of how newsmaking operates, and see them in a political context that examines how political institutions shape news as well as how news shapes political attitudes and institutions.

Adopting this approach, Michael Schudson examines news and news institutions in relation to democratic theory and practice, in relation to the economic crisis that affects so many news organizations today and in relation to recent discussions of “fake news.” 

In contrast to those who suggest that journalism has had its day, Schudson argues that journalism has become more important than ever for liberal democracies as the keystone institution in a web of accountability for a governmental system that invites public attention, public monitoring, and public participation. For the public to be swayed from positions people have already staked out, and for government officials to respond to charges that they have behaved corruptly or unconstitutionally or simply rashly and unwisely, the source of information has to come from organizations that hold themselves to the highest standards of verification, fact-checking, and independent and original research and that is exactly what professional journalism aspires to do.

This timely and important defense of journalism will be of great value to anyone concerned about the future of news and of democracy.




My Thoughts

We know providing a diversified collection of media technologies is expensive. Funding is often obtained through participant admissions/ subscriptions, contributions, or through advertising and sponsorships. 

Schudson opens this book by concentrating on the importance of professional journalism where verifiable facts are gathered to present a story with fair-mindedness. He goes on to provide a collection of essays that cover a range of issues that media faces and has faced noting Walter Lippman's contribution as a prophetic analyst of modern media.

In dissecting the term professional journalist’s one would expect that being fair-minded idealists they would have to look highly at the very nature of their business where discussions and criticism is one of its primary functions, and that leads many of us to see how skepticism can make things seem blurry. 

Around my neck of the woods, local media organizations often have a beat reporter that digs up stories that are geared towards those of us who are curious about things in our area. The reporter's focus on everyday life such as business, crimes, courts, education, politics, religion, and sports.

We know many people outside of professional journalists, in this day and age, carry a smartphone with the ability to obtain and release anything on social media. In my community alone, it is apparent, people in a quest to get the news out to their neighbor do not do any fact-checking. They hear something and put it out there on social media. Later, when it's found to be incorrect, they apologize, or they don’t. 

While citizen journalism distributed by some is disturbing,  I have also gained viable information from those posting on social media such as being directed away from the scene of an accident thus saving emergency personnel having to inform and redirect me.

For the most part, this book appears to hold an optimistic view of the future of professional journalism and a realistic view of how many of us may be more likely to be inspired by fear than hope, continuing the cycle of news programming hierarchy where 'if it bleeds - it leads'. 

It seems you can’t turn on the radio or television today without escaping the term Fake News. Schudson explores how this affects those in the business who are striving to be objective by keeping a neutral and unbiased manner in a highly competitive field.

It’s obvious professional journalists, now more than ever, must do their best analysis of facts and put aside their political and personal viewpoints while recognizing there is no perfect fact gathering system. Perhaps the best thing we can do to assist is to provide them with accurate information.

I received a copy of this book from Neil de Cort, at Polity Press, via book publicist Lucas Jones.




About the Author

Michael Schudson grew up in Milwaukee, Wisc. He received a B.A. from Swarthmore College and M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard. He taught at the University of Chicago from 1976 to 1980 and at the University of California, San Diego from 1980 to 2009. From 2005 on, he split his teaching between UCSD and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, becoming a full-time member of the Columbia faculty in 2009.

He is the author of seven books and co-editor of three others concerning the history and sociology of the American news media, advertising, popular culture, Watergate and cultural memory. He is the recipient of a number of honors; he has been a Guggenheim fellow, a resident fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, and a MacArthur Foundation "genius" fellow. In 2004, he received the Murray Edelman distinguished career award from the political communication section of the American Political Science Association and the International Communication Association.

Schudson's articles have appeared in the Columbia Journalism Review, Wilson Quarterly, and The American Prospect, and he has published op-eds in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, the Financial Times, and The San Diego Union.