Do you ever wonder why journalists do the things they do? Why do they focus on one thing and ignore another? Should journalists be champions of democracy or does that impede their objectivity? Why do they pretend to be unbiased? And why do they care so much about awards? Baffled with David DesRoches just might have some answers.
You might not agree with him, and that's the point -- to start a dialogue about this important industry. Hosted by an award-winning journalist (see that?), this podcast explores those moments when we consume media and say to ourselves, “Huh?” The goal is to offer thoughts on improving journalism and the media industry, and to also help non-journalists better understand the reporting process. In an era when distrust is as common as a cold, the need for podcasts like this cannot be overstated. So go and start one yourself!
This podcast is a production of the Quinnipiac University Podcast Studio.
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Do you ever wonder why journalists do the things they do? Why do they focus on one thing and ignore another? Should journalists be champions of democracy or does that impede their objectivity? Why do they pretend to be unbiased? And why do they care so much about awards? Baffled with David DesRoches just might have some answers.
You might not agree with him, and that's the point -- to start a dialogue about this important industry. Hosted by an award-winning journalist (see that?), this podcast explores those moments when we consume media and say to ourselves, “Huh?” The goal is to offer thoughts on improving journalism and the media industry, and to also help non-journalists better understand the reporting process. In an era when distrust is as common as a cold, the need for podcasts like this cannot be overstated. So go and start one yourself!
This podcast is a production of the Quinnipiac University Podcast Studio.
The Biggest Threat to Democracy Isn’t Donald Trump, It’s Nationalism Hidden in American Journalism
Baffled with David DesRoches
30 minutes
3 years ago
The Biggest Threat to Democracy Isn’t Donald Trump, It’s Nationalism Hidden in American Journalism
It's not so much what American journalists write that threatens democracy. No, it’s more about what they don't write -- context. This lack of context is what perpetuates American propaganda. Journalists might not be waving American flags and talking about freedom and democracy openly, but they are certainly doing that subversively, by omitting the context and withholding the whole truth.
And when we don’t tell the whole truth, journalists end up as unwitting regime propagandists. Who suffers as a result? Everyone. Democracy also suffers because the people remain uninformed and unable to empathize with their foreign brothers and sisters. The missing context creates holes which are filled in with beliefs. And in that ignorance the public remains, ripe for manipulation by the partisan press and of course, demagogues.
That’s why American journalism’s hidden nationalism is the biggest threat to democracy – it oversimplifies and leaves the people ignorant. And ignorant people simply gravitate toward what they believe, which deepens polarization. And because most American journalism exists within a for-profit business structure, the journalism itself becomes more partisan, because that’s what brings in the views, the clicks, the bucks.
This podcast is a production of the Quinnipiac University Podcast Studio. Our producer is Grace McGuire, our social media coordinator is Jillian Catalano, and our videographer is Jake McCarthy. The music was composed and performed by host David DesRoches.
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Baffled with David DesRoches
Do you ever wonder why journalists do the things they do? Why do they focus on one thing and ignore another? Should journalists be champions of democracy or does that impede their objectivity? Why do they pretend to be unbiased? And why do they care so much about awards? Baffled with David DesRoches just might have some answers.
You might not agree with him, and that's the point -- to start a dialogue about this important industry. Hosted by an award-winning journalist (see that?), this podcast explores those moments when we consume media and say to ourselves, “Huh?” The goal is to offer thoughts on improving journalism and the media industry, and to also help non-journalists better understand the reporting process. In an era when distrust is as common as a cold, the need for podcasts like this cannot be overstated. So go and start one yourself!
This podcast is a production of the Quinnipiac University Podcast Studio.
