Ed Madison - Reimagining Journalism in a Post-Truth World

Advance Praise for Reimaginin g Journalism in a Post-Truth World

That journalism in the United States and worldwide is in a deep and seemingly worsening crisis is becoming increasingly clear. The business model of commercial journalism is in its death throes, yet societies desperately need this grand public good if any semblance of democracy or freedom is to survive. Reimagining Journalism in a Post-Truth World is a hearty attempt to take stock of the swirling changes, make the best of a very bad situation, and rethink journalism by reconfiguring the existing cast of characters, institutions, and options. It is a necessary contribution to a larger conversation our entire society, not just the journalism community, needs to have. The sooner, the better.

Robert W. McChesney, Gutgsell Endowed Professor, Department of Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and co-author, The Death and Life of American Journalism

This refreshing look at journalisms current quandaries is a concise chronicle of the anti-media, anti-fact world journalism must now navigate. More than bemoan how fake news and political propaganda are impersonating journalism, the authors offer solutions that need to be more seriously embraced than past journalism reform efforts.

Jan Schaffer, J-Lab Executive Director, American University

Fake news, declining trust in institutions, eroding business modelsjournalism faces challenges from every quarter, but the need for accurate news and information to cut through the noise and enlighten the public is essential for our democracy. The deep research of Reimagining Journalism in a Post-Truth World provides illuminating context for understanding the obstacles confronting the industry and assembles a foundation of useful ideas that may help lift journalism, and our society, into a better future.

Michael D. Bolden, Managing Director, Editorial and Operations, JSK Journalism Fellowships, Stanford University

Amid the change that has become medias only constant, Ed Madison and Ben DeJarnette offer journalisms champions a chance to consider whats been won and lost in the Internet revolutionand what lessons mean most. Their take offers critical context on trends that blossomed and died, theories that dominated and receded, andbeyond the flashinnovation with real promise. In considering fundamental purpose as well as financial reality, the authors amplify the central and urgent question of how journalism can succeed and thrive best: by connecting directly with the public it aims to serve.

Melanie Sill, News Strategist and Former Content Chief at the Sacramento Bee, the News & Observer and KPCC-Southern California Public Radio

Reimagining Journalism in a Post-Truth World is an impressively comprehensive overview of the news industrys challenges and opportunities in a sharply divided America. The book compellingly argues that journalists must champion the truth and actively demonstrate their value to a skeptical public if the Fourth Estate hopes to fulfill its mission as a public good in the digital age.

Jake Batsell, Associate Professor, Southern Methodist University, and author, Engaged Journalism: Connecting with Digitally Empowered News Audiences

This book is an extraordinary collection of critical commentary, careful documentation, and imaginative predictions about journalism. In an era when journalism as a profession is being challenged by political leaders, citizen reporters, comedians, and academics, the authors create a platform to step back and re-think its role in society.

Diane Gayeski, PhD, Dean, and Professor of Strategic Communications, Roy H. Park School of Communications, Ithaca College

We are at a critical time when it comes to trust in mediaor lack thereofand Reimagining Journalism comes along at the right time. Its a tough look at our current predicament, with news media being attacked by the president, and with more power wielded by social networks like Facebook. The authors focus on solutions and people who stand out is the right way to tackle this massive issue, and they do a great job pointing us to a better future.

Mark Glaser, Executive Director, MediaShift.org

Reimagining Journalism in a Post-Truth World

How Late-Night Comedians, Internet Trolls, and Savvy Reporters Are Transforming News

Ed Madison and Ben DeJarnette

Foreword by Frank Sesno

Copyright 2018 by Ed Madison and Ben DeJarnette

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Madison, Ed 1958 author. | DeJarnette, Ben author.

Title: Reimagining journalism in a post-truth world : how late-night comedians, Internet trolls, and savvy reporters are transforming news / Ed Madison and Ben DeJarnette ; foreword by Frank Sesno.

Description: Santa Barbara, California : Praeger, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017041449 (print) | LCCN 2017057492 (ebook) | ISBN 9781440854767 (ebook) | ISBN 9781440854750 (hard copy : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: JournalismUnited StatesHistory21st century. | JournalismObjectivityHistory21st century. | Online journalismUnited StatesHistory21st century. | Television broadcasting of newsUnited StatesHistory21st century. | Television talk showsPolitical aspectsUnited StatesHistory21st century. | Television comediesUnited StatesInfluence.

Classification: LCC PN4867.2 (ebook) | LCC PN4867.2 .M33 2018 (print) | DDC 071.309/05dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017041449

ISBN: 978-1-4408-5475-0 (print)

978-1-4408-5476-7 (ebook)

22 21 20 19 18 1 2 3 4 5

This book is also available as an eBook.

Praeger

An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC

ABC-CLIO, LLC

130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911

Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911

www.abc-clio.com

This book is printed on acid-free paper

Manufactured in the United States of America

For my father, who blazed many trails.

Ed Madison

To the pioneersinside and outside of the professionwho help us imagine a brighter future for journalism.

Ben DeJarnette

Contents

Frank Sesno

Foreword

The crisis in American journalism goes far beyond the practitioners who pursue it and the politicians who complain about it. At a time of anxiety and complexity, competing narratives and deep political polarization, the inability to agree even on basic facts threatens to submerge us in confusion and conflict. Journalisms convulsions over the past two decades have taken a terrible toll. Legacy news organizations hemorrhaged revenue and staff. Business models collapsed. Politically driven media exploded and won massive audiences. Public trust evaporated. An unlikely presidential candidate attacked journalists as dishonest enemies of the people. And won.

This crisis was not born overnight, and it is not attributable to any single source. Rather, it is the result of a combination of factors that have been building for years and that are as striking as the ironies they have produced. The Internet connected us, but also helped tear us apart by amplifying our discontent. Social media democratized expression, but invited everyone to the playing field, no matter how qualified or knowledgeable. The elitist hold on information was broken, but peddlers of extremism and conspiracy gained access to a global audience.