J310
Critical Issues in
Journalism
Professor Robert Jensen
University of Texas at Austin
Summer 2011
Approaches to teaching
• Illusory neutrality
• Aggressive advocacy
• Open and honest engagement
Modes of address
• presenting relatively uncontroversial
information
• surveying different interpretations
• making an argument
Politics
• More than elections
• The nature and distribution of power
Morality
• More than just mores
• What it means to live in right relation to
self, others, and the living world.
What is my relationship to:
• my self?
• others?
• the non-human world?
Dropping Keys
Hafiz, c. 1320-1389, Sufi poet from Persia
The small person
Builds cages for everyone
She
Sees.
Dropping Keys
Instead, the sage,
Who needs to duck her head,
When the moon is low,
Can be found dropping keys, all night
long
For the beautiful,
Rowdy,
Prisoners.
“How to Be a Poet”
Wendell Berry, 1934-, U.S. writer
i
Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill—more of each
than you have—inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your poems,
doubt their judgment.
“How to Be a Poet”
ii
Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.
“How to Be a Poet”
iii
Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.
Socrates
“The unexamined life is not
worth living.”
William Sloane Coffin, Jr.
“Socrates had it wrong; it is
not the unexamined but
finally the uncommitted life
that is not worth living.”
Two questions
• What is your connection to
the pain of the world?
• What is your relationship to
power?
Three modes of inquiry
• Philosophical
• Historical
• Sociological
Three levels of inquiry
• Empirical
• Analytical
• Normative
No knowledge is
pre-theoretical.
Normative claim
Democracy requires:
• Free, fair, open,
contested elections
• Freedom of association
• Freedom of expression
Normative claim
Democracy requires
meaningful guarantees of
freedom of expression
(speech and press).
Normative claim
An independent journalism
is crucial to check the
abuse of power in
institutions and among
leaders.
What is democracy?
demokratia=
demos (people)
&
kratos (rule)
Is the United States a
democracy?
Competing visions
• Popular democracy:
Maximizing participation of
ordinary people
• Managerial democracy:
Institutionalizing elite control
“[D]emocracy is not the name of any particular
arrangement of political or economic institutions.
Rather, it is a situation that political or economic
institutions may or may not help to bring about. It
describes an ideal, not a method for achieving it. It
is not a kind of government, but an end of
government; not a historically existing institution,
but a historical project.”
C. Douglas Lummis, Radical Democracy
“[T]he effective operation of a democratic political
system usually requires some measure of apathy and
noninvolvement on the part of some individuals and
groups. In the past, every democratic society has had a
marginal population, of greater or lesser size, which
has not actively participated in politics. In itself, this
marginality on the part of some groups is inherently
undemocratic, but it has also been one of the factors
which has enabled democracy to function effectively.”
Samuel P. Huntington, The Crisis of Democracy
“Every person sharing in the creative process is democracy;
this is our politics and our religion. People are always
inquiring into their relation to God. God is the moving
force of the world, the ever-continuing creating where
humans are the co-creators. ‘Each human makes God, a
little, with his life,’ as one of the most illumined of the
younger French poets [Arcos] says. Man and God are
correlates of that mighty movement which is humanity
self-creating. God is the perpetual call to our self-fulfilling.
We, by sharing in the life-process which binds all together
in an active, working unity are all the time sharing in the
making of the world.
“This thought calls forth everything heroic that is in us;
every power of which we are capable must be gathered to
this glorious destiny. This is the True Democracy.
“Our rate of progress, then, and the degree in which we
actualize the perfect democracy, depend upon our
understanding that people have the power of creating, and
that they get this power through their capacity to join with
others to form a real whole, a living group.”
Mary Parker Follett, The New State (1918)
“The individual man does not have opinions on all public
affairs. He does not know how to direct public affairs. He
does not know what is happening, why it is happening,
what ought to happen. I cannot imagine how he could
know, and there is not the least reason for thinking, as
mystical democrats have thought, that the compounding of
individual ignorances in masses of people can produce a
continuous directing force in public affairs.”
Walter Lippmann, The Phantom Public (1927)
THOSE WHO TAKE THE MEAT FROM THE TABLE
Teach contentment.
Those for whom the contribution is destined
Demand sacrifice.
Those who eat their fill speak to the hungry
Of wonderful times to come.
Those who lead the country into the abyss
Call ruling too difficult
For ordinary men.
Bertolt Brecht, from “A German War Primer” (1937)
Political assertions
• “The greatest nation on
earth.”
• The national interest
• Anti-American
“Democracy is based upon the
conviction that there are
extraordinary possibilities in
ordinary people.”
Harry Emerson Fosdick
American theologian (1878-1969)
“We customarily use ‘democracy’ as a noun,
the name of a thing, in particular the name
of a form of government. But like Life, in
essence democracy is a verb. It is a process.
It is a ceaselessly dynamic, scrappy, creative,
adaptive and ever-evolving process which,
like any exercise repeated faithfully, makes
its practitioners better at it.”
Ellen LaConte, Life Rules
Democracy depends on
capitalism.
or
Capitalism undermines
democracy.
Capitalism defined
• property, including capital assets, is
owned and controlled by private
persons;
• most people must rent their labor
power for money wages to survive;
and
• most exchanges of goods and services
occur through markets.
3 critical identity questions
Personal: Who am I?
Societal: What is my relationship to
others?
Ecological: What is my relationship to
the non-human world?
3 critical questions
about capitalism
• What is a person under capitalism?
• Can we create real democracy under
capitalism?
• Is sustainability possible under
capitalism?
Gap between
the rhetoric of the powerful
and
the reality of the world
Democracy as
• Participation
• Ratification
• Consumption
Citizens as
• Participants
• Spectators
• Consumers
Jensen defines democracy
A system is democratic to
the degree that ordinary
people have a meaningful
role in the formation of
public policy.
American exceptionalism!
American exceptionalism
“the United States alone has the right,
whether by divine sanction or moral
obligation, to bring civilization, or
democracy, or liberty to the rest of the
world…”
American exceptionalism
“the United States alone has the right,
whether by divine sanction or moral
obligation, to bring civilization, or
democracy, or liberty to the rest of the
world, by violence if necessary.”
Howard Zinn, historian
American exceptionalism?
“Free and fair elections and civil liberties are necessary
conditions for democracy, but they are unlikely to be
sufficient for a full and consolidated democracy if
unaccompanied by transparent and at least minimally
efficient government, sufficient political participation and a
supportive democratic political culture. It is not easy to
build a sturdy democracy. Even in long-established ones, if
not nurtured and protected, democracy can corrode.”
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s
Index of Democracy
False alternative #1
Support the national
interest;
or
Be selfish and act only out
of self interest.
False alternative #2
Be political and participate in
electoral politics;
or
Be apolitical and apathetic.
“History is made by
organized anger.”
Abe Osheroff (1915-2008)
“Democracy begins in
conversation.”
John Dewey (1859-1952)
What are
journalists for?
What are journalists for?
“The journalist’s role is to
inform the public about the
issues so people can make the
right decisions for their lives.”
Bill Kovach
The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should
Know and the Public Should Expect
What are journalists for?
“The purpose of journalism is to
monitor the centers of power.”
Amira Haas, Ha’aretz
What are journalists for?
“The social mission of journalism is intensely practical: to
educate people about matters that are important to the
community’s well-being. … But if journalism is to fulfill its
social mission, it must reach beyond the small, highly
educated, usually well-to-do audience of political and
social elites. It must engage large numbers of people. Today
that means winning a battle for attention more fiercely
competitive than any that our species has ever known.”
Jack Fuller, former publisher, Chicago Tribune
What are journalists for?
“The responsibility of the writer as a
moral agent is to try to bring the truth
about matters of human significance to
an audience that can do something
about them.”
Noam Chomsky, Powers and Prospects
What are journalists for?
“One of the objects of a newspaper is to
understand the popular feeling and to give
expression to it; another is to arouse among
the people certain desirable sentiments; and
the third is fearlessly to expose popular
defects.”
M.K. Gandhi, Hind Swaraj
What are journalists for?
“If we have no business with the construction of
the future or with organizing it for all time, there
can still be no doubt about the task confronting us
at present: the ruthless criticism of the existing
order, ruthless in that it will shrink neither from its
own discoveries, nor from conflict with the powers
that be.”
Karl Marx, September 1843
Justice
How can we create a just
distribution of wealth and
power that recognizes the
inherent dignity of all people?
Sustainability
How can we create a sustainable
system to meet human needs
without undermining the
ecosystem’s capacity to support
life?
What does the public need
from journalists?
• An independent source of factual
information;
• The historical, political, and social
context necessary to make sense of
that information; and
• Exposure to the widest possible range
of relevant opinion circulating in the
culture.
Key factors shaping
news content
• Institutional structure
• Ideological framework
• Professional practices
Columbus
__________
America.
bank bailout
or
rescue package?
torture
or
enhanced
interrogation?
Iraq War
or
U.S. invasion and
occupation of Iraq?
“You can’t be neutral on a
moving train.”
Howard Zinn, historian
“If you are in a situation where an
elephant is sitting on the tail of a mouse
and you say, ‘oh no, no, no, I am
neutral,’ the mouse is not going to
appreciate your neutrality.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
“To do nothing about conflict between
the powerful and the powerless is not
to remain neutral, it is to side with the
powerful.”
Paulo Freire, educator
“As soon as I started looking at that word neutral
and what it meant, it became obvious to me there
can be no such thing as neutrality. It’s a code word
for the existing system. It has nothing to do with
anything but agreeing to what is and will always
be – that’s what neutrality is. Neutrality is just
following the crowd. Neutrality is just being what
the system asks us to be. Neutrality, in other
words, was an immoral act.”
Myles Horton, educator
“In our news gathering, we seek
to be strictly nonpartisan and
nonideological.”
Len Downie, former Washington Post executive editor
“I hear from both the left and the right, and
the tone of the criticism is quite similar –
and not substantial. I get the same sort of
questions from extremists on both sides, and
I can’t get engaged in that conversation. I’m
not here to please the fringes.”
Jonathan Klein, former president of CNN/U.S.
Ideology: in everyday language
• A belief system that is abstract, rigid,
impractical or fanatical.
• Ideology is what the other folks have, which
keeps them from seeing things clearly.
• Assumption: There is a common-sense way
of interpreting the world without resorting to
ideology, which distorts reality.
Ideology: sociological view
• The set of social, political, and moral values,
attitudes, outlooks, and beliefs that shape a
social group's interpretation of the world.
• Ideology is the framework within which we
make sense of the world; everyone has an
ideology or ideologies.
• Assumption: There is no neutral inquiry into
the social world.
Ideology: critical view
• The beliefs of a ruling group, which are
imposed on the subordinate group so as to
make the ruling ideas appear to be
common sense.
• Ideology is a tool of the powerful that
obscures the truth of social relations.
• Assumption: Ideology can be critiqued to
help people better understand their real
place in society and resist injustice.
Fundamentalism
• An intellectual, political, or theological position that
asserts an absolute certainty in the truth and/or
righteousness of a belief system.
• Fundamentalism leads people to want to
marginalize, or in some cases eliminate, alternative
ways of understanding and organizing the world.
• Fundamentalism is an extreme form of hubris, an
overconfidence not only in one’s beliefs but in the
ability of humans to answer definitively complex
questions.
Ideology in the U.S.
• National fundamentalism: American
exceptionalism
• Economic fundamentalism:
Naturalizing capitalism and markets
• Technological fundamentalism: Highenergy/high-tech solutions
“Never be deceived that
the rich will allow you to
vote away their wealth.”
Lucy Parsons, labor organizer (1853 -1942)
Epistemology
the search for a theory of knowledge
episteme
(knowledge)
+
logos
(theory)
Knowledge
Justified
true
belief
Approaches to truth
• Correspondence
• Coherence
• Consensus
Levels of inquiry
• Empirical
• Analytical
• Normative
Public’s Beliefs about Obama
Obama was not born in the United States.
Obama is a Muslim.
Obama is a socialist.
Obama wants to turn over the sovereignty
of the United States to a one world
government.
• Obama may be the Anti-Christ.
• Obama does what Wall Street and the
bankers tell him to do.
•
•
•
•
“Those who use the world assuming
their knowledge is sufficient
destroy the world.”
Wendell Berry
"Ignorance is the kind of not-knowing
that comes from insight and leads to
insight. … Ignorance is the notknowing that opens us up to
philosophical wonder, to scientific
discovery, to human wisdom.“
Gerald Nosich, philosopher
Ignorance Map
• Known Unknowns: All the things you know you don’t
know.
• Unknown Unknowns: All the things you don’t know
you don’t know.
• Errors: All the things you think you know but don’t.
• Unknown Knowns: All the things you don’t know you
know.
• Taboos: Dangerous, polluting or forbidden
knowledge.
• Denials: All the things too painful to know, so you
don’t.
“Crosseyed and Painless”
Facts are simple and facts are straight.
Facts are lazy and facts are late.
Facts all come with points of view.
Facts don’t do what I want them to.
Facts just twist the truth around.
Facts are living turned inside out.
Facts are getting the best of them.
David Bryne
Objectivity
• in everyday conversation
• in the laboratory
• in the newsroom
“So, I remember going off. I had all the briefings. I went
over, got the briefings from the CIA, the Pentagon, spoke to
all the members of Congress, the intelligence committees,
the House side, the Senate side. Everybody said the same
thing: There is no doubt there are stockpiles of chemical
and biological weapons, and it’s only a matter of time
before he has a nuclear bomb.”
Wolf Blitzer, CNN
Effects of journalistic objectivity
• skews news toward the
conventional wisdom
• marginalizes dissident voices
• reinforces the ideology of the
powerful
Why rely on “official sources”?
•
•
•
•
easy
cheap
protection from libel
class allegiances
“We also strive to be impartial. We are
agnostic as to where a story may lead; we do
not go into a story with a preconceived
notion. We do not manipulate or hide facts
to advance an agenda. We strive to preserve
our independence from political and
economic interests, including our own
advertisers and including our own
government.”
Bill Keller, executive editor, New York Times
“We will engage in critique, which is not a solely
negative enterprise and is not synonymous with
complaining, whining, or mean-spiritedness. To
critique an idea, a practice, or an institution is to
examine it to determine its nature so that we can
understand its possibilities and limitations. Critique
can result in criticism, which sometimes justifiably can
be harsh. But critique also can reveal the strength of an
argument. Critique is a thoughtful enterprise, the goal
of which is to deepen our understanding of an issue or
problem.”
What is
a journalist?
What is
an intellectual?
Intellectual work involves a
systematic effort to (1) collect
relevant information and (2)
analyze that information to discern
patterns that help us understand
how the world works, (3) to help us
make judgments about how we
want to shape the world.
What is
a critical
intellectual?
Critical intellectual work
focuses on the
distribution of power.
A journalist is
a critical
intellectual.
John Pilger
“I am a reporter
who values
bearing witness.”
Love from a short distance
There is no silence deep enough
no corruption thick enough
no black-out dark enough
no business deal big enough
no politician bent enough
no heart hollow enough
no grave wide enough
to bury your story
to keep it from us.
Bono, Soma, Senator David Norris, and Fernando Pires
from the CD “Love from a Short Distance: Compilation CD for the Children of East Timor”
Can journalists:
• pursue subjects of importance?
• get access to the information necessary to
learn the truth?
• confront powerful people?
• confront powerful institutions?
• critique the system that distributes wealth
and power?
• communicate all this to the widest possible
public?
Impediments:
• wealth
• power
• status
• ideological fanaticism
Journalism
Objectivity
v.
Advocacy?
Journalism
in the prophetic voice
“Above all, the prophets remind us of
the moral state of a people: Few are
guilty, but all are responsible. If we
admit that the individual is in some
measure conditioned or affected by
the spirit of society, an individual’s
crime discloses society’s corruption.”
Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets
Prophetic journalism
• Based in reporting facts,
with a focus on the gap between the
rhetoric of the powerful and the
reality of people’s lives.
• Goal of telling the truth,
with a focus on the state of a culture in
collapse.
Adopting a “prophetic” stance
puts journalists:
•in conflict with the elites in society.
•in conflict with most people who live
comfortably in society.
•on the side of the powerless.