Several weeks ago, I heard from a GetReligion reader named Rob Vaughn who wanted to get something off his chest.
I was immediately interested in what he had to say because he was a mainstream television journalist — 30-plus years as an anchor at WFMZ in Allentown, Pa. — who also happens to have two graduate degrees from a seminary.
The proposed title of his piece: “What I Wish My Christian Friends Knew About The News Media.” I told him that GetReligion has never run guest pieces — maybe one or two in 17 years — but that I would welcome a chance to look at his text and get back to him.
A day or two later I made a few suggestions and noted that I am constantly getting requests to write and speak on a related topic — how modern news consumers can seek out and find news sources that are still trying to do old-school news that attempts to be balanced, fair and accurate. I suggested that he lean that direction, perhaps with a bullet-list of some strategies about news consumption.
Vaughn ended up with a commentary fit that was a natural fit for Religion Unplugged, operated by my former colleagues at The Media Project. Here’s a crucial chunk of what he wrote:
My church friends are right: many journalists don’t “get” religious conservatives; many don’t even know any personally. Reporters, like all humans, flock together socially with like-minded people. But the reporters I know want to learn, to overcome their ignorance. …
One day an editor with whom I worked at Associated Press Radio phoned a well-known liberal group for comment on a “women’s issue” she was covering. When I told her about a conservative women’s group she didn’t know of, she was glad to call them, too — even though she was personally very liberal. She was a professional and wanted to make her story better.
The problem is what conservative (but fiercely #NeverTrump) writer David French calls the “ideological monocultures” found in many, especially elite, newsrooms. The bottom line: most journalists in those environments hold “progressive” views — especially on social issues.
That’s old news. In fact, that was something that I ran into long ago — 1981, to be precise — when I started work on my 100-page graduate thesis at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign (click here for the condensed version that ran as a cover story at The Quill).
Back to Vaughn:
Journalists are (mostly) liberal because liberals go into journalism. Why is that? My own theory is that journalists, like academics, have a “reformist” bent, a crusading, let’s-change-the-world spirit; they’re out to right wrongs and make the world a more just place. Those are … good goals, actually. Goals that conservative Christians could embrace. I say, let’s encourage more conservative young people to consider careers in journalism.
The key there is that, for Vaughn, the word “conservative” refers to religious faith and practice, not politics.
With that in mind, here are a few of his suggestions to his fellow believers:
News consumers need to be savvy. Read and watch broadly. Not just one cable network. Not just one online news site. Be sure to distinguish between opinion hosts and “straight news” journalists. Glance, at least, at liberal and conservative news and commentary sites for a survey of the left and right “boundaries” on the issues of the day. Tip: Twitter. Most of my news colleagues find Twitter invaluable for tracking the daily torrent of happenings. Follow a few sharp minds on different parts of the political spectrum.
Truth needs champions. News consumers do our society no favors if they declare that journalists, across the board, are liars and fabricators. Sarah Pulliam Bailey, a Christian who covers religion for The Washington Post, writes that imprudent claims that reporters are uniformly dishonest “threaten to undercut the idea that truth exists and that it can and should be pursued.” Amen. The truth, as they say, is out there.
Our society needs a thriving, independent press. Even an aggressive press. Some of my friends scorn reporters they see as hostile and impudent. But some truths are like weeds: they’re hard to dig up without effort. Reporters don’t have to be rude, but they’re paid to press the people in power for answers, to ask “why?” and “what’s the evidence for that?” Don’t begrudge reporters their skepticism; without it, important truths might remain hidden.
Call your local reporter. We get calls from miffed viewers. How can we make the story better? David French says, “The vast majority of reporters do try hard to get the story right … and do not deserve the vitriol and threats they receive.” If you hear something that needs correcting, by all means, call and make your case. Test my hypothesis that reporters want the story to be accurate more than they want it to match their personal views.
READ ALL of “What I Wish My Christian Friends Knew About The News Media” by Rob Vaughn at Religion Unplugged.