Teaching good journalism in a world of alternative facts and political opinions
When I saw President Donald Trump’s press conference Feb. 16 — where he belittled certain media outlets such as CNN by describing them as “fake news,” while answering questions from the press that has been favorable to him — I knew that I would have to speak to my students about what transpired.
After all, teaching journalism in 2017 is a tough task, especially when key members of the Trump administration refer to the press as “the opposition party.”
My students at DePaul University in Chicago are aware of what’s ahead them. Journalism is needed more than ever despite the fact that newsrooms are shrinking by the day. I try my best to give them the skills they need to succeed. I often tell them to look past the convenient narratives. After all, we’re in Chicago where every shooting is often politicized. I tell them to look at the systemic issues the city has while everyone else is looking at the numbers of shootings. A good journalist looks for a good story, not to validate someone’s partisan politics.
I tell my students to watch what they say online. For instance, if one of them said something negative about President Trump and later had to cover one of his press conferences, his administration would be right to ask if he would be covered objectively. No matter how the student may feel about President Trump personally, that student has to be objective as a journalist. As I wrote this column in late February, I saw that a Chicago sportscaster got the suspended for tweeting negative comments about President Trump and the people who voted for him.
I told my students that in a world of “alternative facts,” where people have gotten the masses to believe that 2+2=5, the press is still a main cog in what makes our country great. We still have a role in not only telling people about the world around them, but exposing the things that people want to keep quiet.
Topher Sanders, an investigative reporter with nonprofit news outlet ProPublica, recently said this about the role of the press in a democracy: “Journalism is at the bedrock of democracy. We are the defenders of democracy. I will see you on the battlefield.”
I hope my students take those words to heart.