Piece Comment

Review of Rehabbing the Fourth Estate


Almost by acclamation, three lecturers at the 2005 Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism, believe that "objectivity" is killing the craft of the Fourth Estate.

Randy Cohen, who writes "The Ethicist" for The New York Times, posits that journalists are confusing "objectivity" with "even-handedness," and so stories become a ping-pong played out by sources. He sees capitulation to political pressure, and complacency as major newsroom failings. To him, journalism ethics need to reflect civic virtues, as reporters and editors seek out what a just society is and means.

Phillip Gourevitch, the editor of "The Paris Review" speaks about the bubble of covering a presidential campaign, and how journalists obsess over access to the candidate, when in fact, they have none, especially when they are traveling with the candidate. He also observes that the result of this pack journalism is homogeneity, and/or what other reporters are thinking. Stories are much more interesting and authentic when traveling off the beaten path. Where, he wonders, is the interest in seeking the truth? Also, he believes that after 9-11 journalists feared delivering bad news, and became softer.

Doug McGill, who retired from foreign assignments from The NY Times and other major dailies, was the most compelling. He now practices what he calls "glocalism," a brand of journalism that he does from Rochester, Minn. by cultivating and reporting on the international communities in the city. He publishes on the internet and has broken major international stories. He believes that journalism today operates as a branch of social science since objectivity is its highest goal. He reminds that journalists used to be interpreters of human events.

The hour goes by fast with these good deliberators. I only wish that we could hear the three come together and conclude their separate presentations for some overarching thoughts. I think the lectures can instruct those of us who are in the profession, and those of us who are on the outside wondering what the heck is going on. One technical note, there is a brief billboard at the beginning, followed by a long block of music (6 minutes), before it starts.