A Citizen's View: The Responsibility of the Media in a Democratic Society

[Commentary] The first amendment protects freedom of the press, but with freedom comes ethical responsibility. One obligation is a better balance of news and analysis. Another obligation is to balance getting the story out quickly with reporting accurately. Market share is a desirable goal but ought not to be the primary driver when errors in reporting spread faster than the corrections that come later. Still another ethical obligation is to educate, to get below the surface of events and political posturing. Too often content with a juicy headline or sound bite, the media fail to ask questions that test a candidate's thinking.

The media also have an obligation to differentiate between fact and opinion among their reporters. The distinction between "analysis" and "news" has been blurred nearly to the point of extinction, allowing reporters to push corporate or personal politics into coverage while claiming to be objective. Opinions select their facts instead of facts leading to reasoned opinions. This slipshod approach to their task has led over half of Americans to report little or no trust and confidence in the mass media.

[Terry Newell is the founder of Leadership for a Responsible Society]