If those eastern media moguls have their way, newspapers may someday sport a new type of byline over stories.
Something like:
By Joseph Glotz
Daily Bugle conservative-minded reporter
Their conclusion: If more journalists who lean to the starboard can be employed, the press’s at-least-perceived list to port can be corrected.
Among those admitting that changes in the newsroom might be good are Deborah Howell, ombudsman for the Washington Post and Tom Rosenstiel, who heads up something called the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
“Some conservative complaints about a liberal tilt are valid,” Howell recently wrote in her column. “Journalism naturally draws liberals, we like to change the world.”
Rosenstiel, a former political reporter, opined that “conservatives are right that journalism has too many liberals and not enough conservatives. It’s inconceivable that that is irrelevant.”
Apparently, it’s not irrelevant at the Washington Post. Howell admits the paper lost 900 subscribers in four weeks during the recent election campaign. They complained about election campaign news stories with a liberal bias.
Charges of slanted news coverage at some major papers, especially those in New York, Washington and Los Angeles, have been raised for years-long before the recent presidential campaigns.
It’s good that journalists are now paying attention. But they suggest the wrong solution.
They call for hiring more writers with a “conservative” bent.
“There should be more intellectual diversity among journalists,” Rosenstiel writes. “More conservatives in newsrooms will bring about better journalism.” Howell thinks achieving that would be difficult, “but newspapers have hired more minorities and women, so it can be done.”
But, they miss the point. Readers don’t want stories written by reporters with personal agendas-either conservative or liberal. They want stories that are both as factual and devoid of bias as possible.
Editors shouldn’t have to assign two reporters to cover a political speech or rally.
A newspaper that hires reporters based on their conservatism will likely just be putting people on the payroll who feel compelled to present their opinions.
Likewise, the liberals on the staff will then assume it’s OK to give readers a larger dose of their philosophy.
If newspapers want to enhance their credibility with readers they need to set higher standards in the newsroom-and, more importantly, hire editors that will enforce them.
I’m talking about tough old editors who wear green eyeshades and sleeve garters. Editors who would rather swear off whiskey than see a slanted phrase see the light of print.
Editors who would make sure reporters who are in the business to “change the world” would instead get a change in career.
Let’s have less opinion in the news pages, not more.
Dick Hilker (dhilker529@q.com) of Loveland is a retired suburban Denver newspaper editor and columnist. Applications for the 2009 Colorado Voices competition will be accpted starting Feb. 1.
