Criticism of Journalism

Razvan Sibii

That journalism is important in American life is evident in the large amount of criticism that news media have always received. The country's early newspapers were hotly criticized for the stories they included or ignored, perceived political bias, cronyism with advertisers, and paying too much attention to the social and political elites rather than common people. And those were merely the highlights. Critics have varied from those who feel themselves mistreated (or their views given little attention) to organizations focused on trying to improve journalism. Some criticism has come from within—-as with the relatively recent appointment of newspaper ombudsmen at a handful of major newspapers—-but most comes from outside the journalistic fraternity. The complaints have probably politically balanced out over time—with sharp attacks coming from both the right and the left. By definition, to critique is to speak of mistakes, flawed processes, or unmet expectations. In so doing, one is ...

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