Norms in newsrooms across the United States are being upended thanks to deep polarization, a racial reckoning, and the pandemic. Hallmark journalistic traits like neutrality and objectivity are being redefined. Eric Deggans, TV critic for NPR, says it’s impossible to be objective, and journalists have long been advocates for the status quo. “We’ve seen newspapers apologize for how they covered the Civil Rights Movement because they marginalized civil rights advocates.” Still, today’s challenges are unique. Newsrooms are grappling with generational change, the Me Too movement, and journalists who became oppositional following President Trump’s “enemy of the people” comments. Deggans speaks with Joanne Lipman, former editor in chief for USA Today, and Vivian Schiller, executive director of Aspen Digital.
This conversation was held in August, 2021 as part of the McCloskey Speaker Series and in collaboration with Aspen Digital.
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