In the time since we first aired “In Journalism We Trust” in June, the landscape has shifted again – a new presidency, shakeups and layoffs at news organizations around the country, questions about funding and the growing role of social media as people’s source of news.
I went back to Deborah Blum, director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT, who I talked with for the show, and asked her what she’s thinking about now. She gave the example of the new administration’s move to shut down public health announcements from federal agencies, and why that means – especially if there is an outbreak or health emergency – the work of science journalists will be more vital than ever. But Blum says she’s worried about journalists maintaining the “truth to power” independent work.
“Some of that worry is based in the economic erosion of the industry, some of it in the risk - which became obvious in the election cycle - that papers owned by the super-wealthy appear less willing to tackle economic and political power. And we should all worry about that, in the sense that a watchdog press is essential to a functioning democracy,” she says. “If we don’t tell these stories, who will?”
– Shannon