Page 27 - Delaware Lawyer - Fall 2023

It was. And even more alarming, the staff forced the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor for daring to publish a dissenting piece.
At the local level, newspapers for the most part are failing to hold gov- ernment to account. Local radio and online news organizations try, but they are thinly staffed.
Citizens are left with little or no knowledge of what their elected officials are doing.
If history teaches us anything, scan- dals are festering in those dark corners. Something will happen. And it will not be good.
What Is the Solution?
Some suggest government interven- tion. In other words, subsidies from the state or federal government. That will lead to trouble. We have already seen politicians of the right and left call for silencing their
critics, whether it is in the guise of clamping down on “misinformation,” “hate speech” or “fake news.” Ask yourself: Who gets to define misinformation or hate speech?
Behind these threats is a demand for licensing journalists. That means govern- ment-approved journalism. We have been down this road before. Step out of line and the government shuts you down. It has happened before in our history. It will hap- pen again if we let it.
Other suggestions look to nonprofit organizations. Surely, a not-for-profit newsroom could be fair and balanced, right? Again, I am not so sure. What happens if the sponsor is not so spotless? Imagine a news organization sponsored by George Soros or the Koch brothers. Or what about taking money from nonprofit organizations that sponsor a cause, such as improving the environment or fixing the criminal justice system? Aren’t those causes part of a political agenda?
The reality is this: If you want news, you will have to pay for it. Support local journalism. But not blindly.
News consumers should ask hard ques- tions about who is sponsoring the news. What is their goal? What influences do they have on the news editors and reporters?
Back in the 1990s, the Society of Pro- fessional Journalists pushed a voluntary ethics code based on three principles: 1. Tell the truth. 2. Minimize harm. 3. Act independently.
They are hard principles that are needed today. These principles often conflict. They should. The idea was not to blindly follow a set of rules. No, the idea was to discuss, even debate, the principles. Journalists should carefully consider the stakeholders in a story, and, above all, the interests of the readers.
That is a tough assignment. But we, as news consumers and citizens, should make them stick to it.
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