Speaking of: The Role of the Citizen

Thomas Cashman Avila, Staff Director
Committee of Concerned Journalists

I am not a journalist. In the interest of transparency, I must admit that I have never been a journalist unless you count one cover story for the Philadelphia City Paper (I don't). I'm a fiction writer whose day job includes speaking to, writing to and being surrounded by journalists.

Unfortunately many citizens are finding that line, between journalism and fiction, as one that is increasingly blurry and hard to discern. They are, unfortunately, losing faith. I do not base this on study or survey results though such work does exist. I have come to this after spending a week getting phone calls from people calling to say that they are upset. They no longer trust the information they are getting from journalists.

It all started when the Committee of Concerned Journalists' phone number was posted in an article written by Jim Hightower on the Alternet.org website. While the wording of the last line, urging people to contact the CCJ to find out what they can do to stop the practice of Video News Releases, was a bit of a surprise, something important came of it. People started calling. And they weren't just calling about VNRs. One gentleman called about his local newspaper. One person called about one of her local television stations. And one person called and said he feels his only recourse was to abandon "mainstream" media altogether. Now he only gets his news from Internet websites.

That last call stuck with me (and not simply because the caller told me he had given up on National Public Radio which is, to me, like saying you've given up moving about during the daytime) because here was a person who felt excluded and ignored by a profession that I have come to have such respect for. The great majority of journalists whom I have met are dedicated individuals who believe in the words the put on paper and what they say on the air every single day. But the person that spends every day at their desk doing their job to the best of their ability does not appear on as many magazine covers as the person who gets caught telling lies. That's the person who the public remembers. That's the person who becomes the symbol for citizens of what journalism has become.

So what can be done? I want to direct my advice not to the journalists but to non-journalist citizens. It is okay to occasionally feel frustrated by the news you are getting or feel you are not getting. It should actually be considered to be one of the predictable side effects of a democratic society. When faced with a television report or newspaper article that troubles you it's time to ask yourself, "Is the information in this reporting flawed or do I simply not agree with it?" If the problem rests with the reporting, investigate the proper channels for communicating with your news organization. Is there a reader representative or ombudsmen? Do they have an organized system for receiving and responding to reader or viewer concerns?

When you write to a news organization or speak to a representative, make a point of writing down the articles or newscasts that you would like to discuss. Be specific and avoid blanket statements about the organization or individual reporters. And, when you contact the organization, be ready not only to speak but also to listen.

Become a broad news consumer. One night a week, try watching a local newscast that you don't normally watch. If you're feeling dissatisfied with the national coverage in your local newspaper, seek out other newspaper sites online or try a one-month subscription to the newspaper from a nearby community. While you're checking e-mails, take a minute to click on your Internet provider's news site (if they have one). Find journalism organizations whose mission matches your concerns to see if they offer a news digest or section like Journalism.org's "Daily Briefing" page. Web pages like the Briefing offer a means for reading and viewing and listening to news stories about specific topics from a variety of resources and viewpoints.

Most importantly, citizens cannot give up on journalism. Walking away cannot be seen as an option. What is at stake is very real. Journalism is a central support in our system of government and our society. It speaks truth to power. It is a voice for the voiceless. But good journalism should not simply be expected, it must sometimes be demanded. We non-journalist citizens need to recognize that we not only have a right to good journalism. We have a role, a critical responsibility, to play.

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