News media must adapt to rebuild trust

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[Commentary] Overall confidence in TV news, which was at 46% in 1993, is now 23%; conservatives' confidence is 18%, the lowest on record; and Republicans' is 16%. So what to do about this state of affairs, assuming that the broadcast networks really are interested in representing everybody's views?

  • First, hire some reporters and editors who understand how important it is for the media to be a watchdog on the government. Without such, after all, there really is no way of keeping an eye on our public servants. Hiring reporters who produce news stories that expose waste, inefficiency, and counterproductive results when they issue from governmental programs would be a nice counterpoint to the reports of "consumer affairs" and "environmental" reporters.
  • Second, use economic reporters with a marketplace perspective, rather than political reporters, more often on stories that are fundamentally economic in nature. "ObamaCare" is a good example. So are the numerous aspects of our current fiscal and monetary policies, from sequestration to the "Quantitative Easing" of the Federal Reserve.
  • Third, avoid the overuse of "horse race" journalism — who benefits politically — in stories about regulations and congressional legislation. Such perspectives may be of interest to politicians and political junkies, but they often fall short in explaining the nuts and bolts of complex policy issues.
  • Fourth, remember that journalism isn't a religion, with keepers of the faith, but a craft that operates in a marketplace of sources of information. Seen this way, it's a given that mainstream news be aimed at attracting and keeping the widest and most diverse audiences possible.

[Maines is the president of The Media Institute]


News media must adapt to rebuild trust