Ellen Hume

So how far should real journalists go in saying that someone is “misstating” the facts, i.e. lying? This was raised recently by the NYTimes ombudsman. http://t.co/rn2GLZrx ...Everyone came down on the poor fellow to say DUH, of course, that’s what real journalists are supposed to do!  But it’s not so simple. Most politics is entirely faith-based. Why else would someone listen to those blow-hards on radio and tv, who lie day after day to paint a scary world full of conspiracies?

Report from Budapest

It was a bit dizzying to have both Larry Lessig, who loves the Internet and social networks, and Evgeny Mrozov, who doesn’t, in town the same week. Larry held forth Monday on how money drives the legislative process in Congress, and Evgeny gave us some dark thoughts on Friday from his Net Delusion book about how slacktivism can divert us from genuine civic activity, even as dictators effectively nail folks down with heat-seeking propaganda tools and tracking technologies.

The quote of the day comes from, of all people, a GOP President of long ago:  "Now it is true that I believe this country is following a dangerous trend when it permits too great a degree of centralization of governmental functions. I oppose this--in some instances the fight is a rather desperate one. But to attain any success it is quite clear that the Federal government cannot avoid or escape responsibilities which the mass of the people firmly believe should be undertaken by it.

My premise is that the facts matter, and that journalists are in an ideal position to hold the powerful accountable. This is what I tried to do for 19 years as a reporter. The news media also must be held accountable themselves-because they, too, are among the powerful forces that shape our policy, politics and preoccupations. That is why I quit journalism in 1988 to be part of a group that is trying to hold the news media themselves accountable, and to improve their quality and role, from within the business.

Boston, Summer, 2004--Political conventions are the perfect time for mischief. In the 21st century they don’t have a real job to do because the primaries have selected the presidential nominee. Yet they get the world’s media spotlight for four days, as if they were up to something important. Think about it: a phenomenal 15,000 journalists will be scouring Boston in July, looking for a story. It is the dirty prankster’s dream.

The core mission of independent watchdog journalism is to hold the powerful accountable on behalf of the “little people.” This seems a hopeless dream in our era of corporate media conglomeration, but in fact there are pockets of success. Courageous journalists are struggling to work even in the most dangerous corners of the earth. “Media Missionaries,” my updated report on American international journalism training, shares stories from the front lines of this global battle to tell the truth.

“Dangerous Intersection: News Media and Politics” is the theme of a conference we will be hosting April 7 at the University of Massachusetts Boston’s new campus center, to celebrate our new Center on Media and Society. We will be focusing on two themes: The News Media and Political Power (which I am teaching this semester) and Ethnic and Community Media.

Journalists around the world continue to give up their lives in trying to do their jobs. This is true not only in active conflicts, like the Iraq war, but in countries where murder is used by governments or shadowy powers to intimidate and silence witnesses. Angela Morgenstern of KQED has created a remarkable website, to go with a PBS series, describing the patterns of murder in recent years across the globe. Click on the section called "In the Line of Fire." Here is the link: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld

In a time of war, we must all do our part. For the journalists, that means simply: do your job. You are not a soldier, nor are you a political policy-maker. You are the professional skeptic, the one who must ask the questions no one else is asking, and who reports the news even if it is painful.

Many patriotic Americans have not spoken out because we want to support our President and our men and women in uniform. Others are simply confused and scared. Just as antiwar demonstrations started to gain attention around the world, our government declared Code Orange, and advised us seal ourselves in our homes with plastic sheets and duct tape.