« The 'Omnibusters' Shed Light On Spending | Main | What's 'The Ruckus' At Newsweek? »

Independence vs. Idealism

Yesterday's entry about The Washington Independent touched a nerve with Jefferson Morley, the national editorial director of the Center for Independent Media that funds the publication.

Morley responded to my entry today, wrongly accusing me of recoiling "in chaste disdain" at the ideas of both partisanship and political principles. I don't have a problem with either, and I'm perfectly fine with both existing within the new media order -- so long as people are transparent and honest with readers about their partisan leanings and their principles.

I don't believe that's entirely the case here.

The folks behind the center clearly understand "independent" to mean something different than most politically informed Americans, and Morley was transparent about defining the term as he understands it. But casting as independent a Washington-oriented publication that admittedly is not politically independent, of both party and philosophy, is still misleading. It doesn't square with this statement by Morley, one that I agree with:

In our work, truth-telling is the primary goal. That means being candid about our reporters' beliefs and up front about editorial perspectives.

By his own barometer of good journalism, calling the new publication The Washington Progressive and its parent the Center For Progressive Media would be far more truthful. Why run from the political terminology the operation embraces?

The Center for Independent Media has a worthwhile mission, and people with competing worldviews should consider organizing similar efforts to train the next generation of journalists. Anyone who reports the news with what Morley calls a "moral perspective," regardless of what that perspective is, needs to pursue "rigorous adherence to the highest standards of journalism."

Unfortunately, the center's word choice, something endemic to sound journalism, does not rise to those standards.

Morley and I aren't as far apart on media philosophy as he seems to think. I just think the center needs to do a bit better at achieving this ideal of Morley's, in both word and deed: "We will have beliefs, transparently held, and a commitment to journalism that informs the public on the issues that matter."

Posted by Danny | 12:01 PM

Comments

Post a Comment