Did ya read this one today in the times union..............
Taking the pulse of political coverage
First published: Monday, July 21, 2008
Biased.
Unfair.
Inaccurate.
Unclear.
Full of holes.
And those are sometimes the flattering descriptions of political coverage -- especially in a lively election year like 2008. Which is why you're now hearing from me.
The Times Union's editor, Rex Smith, has asked me to be what he calls "an independent monitor" of the paper's political coverage through the upcoming election. Why should you care about this experiment?
Because, with the good-hearted cooperation of the paper's journalists, I'll pay even more attention to your questions, comments and concerns about political coverage. I'll take another look at how well the coverage meets the standards of good journalism (see that opening list of complaints) and serves the public's needs in our democracy. Where there are lapses, I'll ask the reporter's favorite question: "Why?"
Along the way, I'll also do my best to explain the more mystifying rituals and procedures of journalism. I'll try to give you yet another window into the newsroom. And we'll discuss those good-journalism standards: Impartiality. Accuracy. Thoroughness. Transparency. Honesty. Independence.
So let me introduce myself: I teach journalism. In particular, I teach the kind of journalism that we'll explore here. I'm the Knight Chair in Political Reporting at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
To translate that mouthful, I hold a special faculty position -- created by an endowment by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, one of journalism's most prestigious philanthropies -- at one of the country's top professional journalism schools. That makes me very lucky.
Some personal tidbits: I grew up on a farm outside a small town in Alabama during the Vietnam and civil rights eras. Fell in love with journalism partly because of those two overwhelming news stories. Was the only child of working-class parents -- father a farmer; mother a homemaker and secretary -- who wanted me to "amount to something."
Lived on a boat for 12 years and for three years in a Winnebago motor home. Joyously married to a former newspaperman turned artist, an all-around saint. Don't have any hobbies, unless you count mysteries, thrillers, science fiction and chocolate.
Spent 25 years as a reporter, including two years in radio news and 20 years with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 12 of them in its Washington bureau. Covered, among other things, the Panama invasion; the lives and deaths of five Roman Catholic missionaries killed in Liberia's civil war; the Democratic or Republican national conventions in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996; the politics and policies of health care and international trade -- and the World Championship Domino Tournament in my hometown of Andalusia, Ala.
Left the newsroom for the campus in 1996 with stops at Princeton, Harvard, Syracuse and Hampton universities. The story I regret missing: Iraq.
When it comes to politics, I belong to a very small group of journalists -- including Len Downie, retiring editor of The Washington Post -- who don't vote. I don't evangelize for that view.
For me, it's another way of pursuing impartiality and independence. Most folks, in all sorts of activities and jobs, can suspend their personal views to fulfill other obligations. Think of jurors, judges, referees.
Some Grimes Guiding Principles of Journalism: Democracy doesn't survive without a free press. "The purpose of journalism," as one of my favorite books, "The Elements of Journalism," puts it, "is to provide people with the information they need to be free and self-governing."
Being a journalist is an awesome privilege and awesome responsibility, because people sometimes make decisions based on what we report. There's a special place in hell for journalists who fabricate, because they betray the public trust. Facts are precious. A journalist's job is to sometimes tell you things you don't want to know, so that you can make choices you didn't know you had. And journalism is an act of citizenship.
That's what I try to teach to my students at the Newhouse School. You can find out more about me and my teaching at my Web site:
http://knightpoliticalreporting.syr.edu. And you also can call or e-mail me.
Yes, I love journalism. Because of that, I want it to live up to its obligations and serve its purpose in our democracy. When it doesn't, we all -- journalists and the public -- lose.
In this monitoring experiment with the Times Union, my territory will be news coverage of politics -- not the editorial pages, columns or commentary. As part of our agreement, my pieces won't be edited except for the usual grammar, spelling, punctuation and fact-checking. Of course, I'll always ask the paper's journalists for responses to criticisms and concerns.
How independent can I be? Very. I'm not on the paper's payroll. And I already have a good job.
When I end this gig in November, I hope this experiment will have added a bit to the mutual respect between the Times Union and its community. I look forward to working with you. And good luck to us all.
Contact Charlotte Grimes at (315) 443-2366 or cgrimes08@gmail.com.
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=704887&category=OPINION&TextPage=1
Logged
