Is there any hope for good quality television news?
Clearly, there is a lot of quality journalism being done today in broadcast and print. The various scandals are exceptions to the rule, and a part of the process. Journalism is a human endeavor, and humans are far from perfect. That’s not to excuse sloppy journalism, or in the case of Jayson Blair, deliberate malfeasance. But in all of these cases, the problems developed and were fully smoked out; often by other journalists. Unlike a lot of professions which can bury their problems, everything journalists do is out in the open and subject to public opinion and commentary. We work in a fishbowl; that goes with the territory. News consumers have never had a broader selection of outlets to choose from. If they want glitz and glamour, they can get it. If they value quality journalism, they know where to find that, too. I’m not too concerned about the level of quality that’s available. What is it like working in Iowa Cyclone territory? The newsroom is basically dominated by them, but there
