Journalism used to be an honorable profession. It used to be a reliable resource for the everyday citizens. It used to be a resource for voters to stay informed and gather information for making quality decisions at the ballot box. It used to be competitive not a group think exercise.
Journalists once inspired some of the most cataclysmic changes in our society and political landscape by exposing corruption and accurately informing the public about the events, policies and individuals who were impacting their lives.
All people have biases A professional journalist understands this and learns to manage their personal biases to better serve the public by providing accurate factual reporting absent the influence of their personal views.
Case in point a local journalist attempted, through nothing more than innuendo, to connect a local candidate t o a highly controversial national candidate. Another provided misleading information as to the willingness of the local candidate to participate in an interview. In both these instances the writers left no doubt as to their bias or their intent.
The press today has broad access to the public space through conventional media and social media. That power carries with it great responsibility. Honest journalists understand this, and they strive to provide the public with valuable and accurate information.
This type of disingenuous reporting is a great disservice to the profession as well as the public.
I hope local journalists. out of respect for their profession. will come to recognize they have been called to a higher standard to ensure their work product serves the public, and not their personal agendas.
Donna Carter
Athens
Copy editor on holiday.
@athenspoliticalnerd , referred to by Mrs. Carter on Twitter and YouTube does no service for the Athens community. He is not a journalist.
Today’s major media outlets are nothing short of shameless biased propaganda tools for the party they favor. There’s an old saying “you wouldn’t have an opinion unless the media gave you one”.
For example…just look at the last couple of years of anti-police rhetoric from the media. In the old days if it was even to be reported, when a police officer shot somebody, that was usually the story. Now, only if a police officer is white will it make the news if they shoot a minority, and the media makes damn sure that they insert the adjective “white”before the word police officer, but if it’s a minority police officer that shoots a minority, they won’t bother to state the…