Blog 3

Just a few years ago, being a journalist seemed like a simpler time. Before the advent of social media and it’s takeover on modern politics, journalists were able to report the news with a moderate level of trust. Most opposition to the media was carefully thought out and put into long-form debate. Throughout the Obama administration and into the Trump regime, social media and the continuing takeover of cable news has turned every piece of news into scrutiny. The current President calls the journalism profession fake, as well as taking every opportunity to knock the media. This hurts the media’s ability to report in a position of authority. These are the ethical issues brought about by Marty Baron in his visit to the HUB-Roberson Center at Penn State. Baron brought up the topic of so called “fake news,” saying that journalists should fight back because “The founders of this country did not embrace a free press with the notion that it should shut up, or be shut down.” Baron is spot on here, as throughout the history of the United States, truth and good journalism has proved victorious. Whether it be through work on Watergate or the current alleged ties between the Trump administration and Russia, good journalism is always rewarded eventually. Another tactic used by the current administration to decry the good of journalists has been to say that the media should shut its mouth on some controversial issues and decisions made early in the administration. To that point, Baron simply replied that the media should not shut its mouth, and that its job is to do the opposite and speak up, holding those in power accountable. This should especially apply in controversial circumstances as is happening right now. Baron knows all about using the media’s power to speak up in controversial situations, as he did so as the leader of the “Spotlight” case at the Boston Globe where he is still an editor. Baron’s accomplishments are many, and the wisdom he shared with the crowd at the HUB-Roberson Center was well-received by myself.