Printed Page 385

In modern America, journalism’s highest role has been to provide information that enables citizens to make intelligent decisions. Today, this guiding principle has been partially derailed. Why? First, the media may be producing too much information through too many communication channels, making it harder to confirm facts and engage in thoughtful discussion about them. Second, the information the media now provide apparently has not improved the quality of public and political life—a core mission of journalism. For example, many people feel disconnected from the stories about the major institutions and political processes that serve as the foundation of democratic society.

For these reasons, it’s important to revisit what we mean by “news,” why well-practiced and accurate journalism is so important, and how the values that have long characterized journalism have helped create the profession’s strengths as well as its weaknesses.