We Think Little of Today's Journalists

I enrolled in journalism immediately after Watergate…a time when the profession was valued by a grateful public. Journalists were viewed as crusaders out to get the bad guys….the people who were dishonest and unethical.

Well things have changed…at least in the arena of public opinion. A new survey puts journalists at the bottom of the barrel with politicians, lawyers, telemarketers and even Roman Catholic Priests.

Conversely, nurses appear to be paragons of ethical and honest behavior. They are number one in the poll.

And here’s the thing about this indictment of the news media....they are actually on the upswing because people are tired of the beating they take from the current inhabitant of the White House.

Journalists are riding a wave with Democrats, up 21 points over last year. Independents’ views of newsfolk went up 13-percent in the era of “fake news,” as pushed by the West Wing.

But even journalists are above our elected representatives in the United States Congress. Only eight percent of those polled considered Congress to have any redeeming qualities in the area of honesty and ethical behavior.

So what’s changed the image of journalists over the last 30 years?

In my opinion, it is the blended approach to news reporting. As viewers, we can’t discern the difference between straight news reporting and commentary. Not a problem here. You are listening to a commentary. Jeff Vaughn does the news.

Not as easy to discern on MSNBC or Fox News.