MEJO 153: Hannah-Jones, Hussman and Journalism Values
Over the last several semesters teaching introductory writing and reporting, one of my favorite weeks is the one during which we discuss journalism values. During the week, I set up an imaginary debate between Walter Hussman and Nikole Hannah-Jones. With last week’s report in The Assembly, that debate is no longer imaginary. I wanted to share this lesson in hopes that it might help our students and others examine this topic with a critical and open mind.
As a follow-up assignment I’ve sometimes had students then read the statements of principles from organizations such as Pro Publica, Vox, Voice of San Diego and Chalk Beat and write their own. It’s important for students to understand that journalism is not one thing, and that they can critically examine the past and create the future.
In 2019, Walter Hussman Jr. and his family pledged to donate $25 million to UNC. What had been the “School of Media & Journalism” became the “Hussman School of Journalism & Media.” (Note both of the changes in the name.) At the time of his donation, the dean of the School said it would embrace his values, which he outlined in an opinion column that was published in The Wall Street Journal on the day his donation was announced. As you read, pay close attention to the use of the word “impartiality.”
- Tuesday Reading: Impartiality is the Source of a Newspaper’s Credibility (subscription required)
With the rise of the internet, it became much easier for anyone to become their own publisher. This caused massive upheaval in the definition of who was a journalist and what was journalism. When I worked at The Washington Post, the congressional press galleries weren’t sure whether they should admit people whose work appeared only in the online version of The Post and not on printed paper. This next piece is one of the most widely read and discussed efforts in the last quarter century to define journalism by describing its role in a free and open democracy. As you read, consider these questions:
- What is journalism? Is it different than media? Why or why not?
- How do Kovach and Rosenstiel use the terms “impartiality” and “objectivity”?
- Wednesday Reading: The elements of journalism
One of the most famous graduates of our School is Nikole Hannah-Jones. She is a recipient of a McArthur “genius” grant for her investigative reporting on education and race and a Pulitzer Prize in commentary for her groundbreaking work leading the 1619 Project, “an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.” In this podcast, she discusses her professional path, her understanding of race and the role of “objectivity” in journalism. As you read, imagine a debate between proud UNC graduates Walter Hussman Jr. and Nikole Hannah-Jones over the concepts of “impartiality” and “objectivity” in journalism.
The long simmering stew of race, journalism and objectivity came to a public boiling point in the summer of 2020 as reporters, activists of all stripes and government officials all turned to social media to share their observations and opinions about nationwide protests against police violence against Black men and women. Black reporters at mainstream news organizations felt constrained by white editors about what they could write for their publications as well as what they could say on social media. What were once internal debates about word choices in news headlines and which opinions deserved amplification became public spats that cost several editors their jobs. This opinion piece by 60 Minutes correspondent and former Washington Post reporter Wes Lowery lit up journalism Twitter for a few days. As you read it, think about how you would summarize Lowery’s main points, how the race of a journalist might affect the way a story is reported (and how the story is experienced by the reporter). Think, too, about how a reporter’s words and actions outside of their employer’s publication might help or hurt the publication’s reputation, influence and financial viability.
Weekend Reading & Watching
- Read: A Reckoning Over Objectivity, Led by Black Journalists
- Read: Twitter thread by Tom Rosenstiel in reaction to the opinion column
- Watch: Rosenstiel keynote speech at 2020 International Symposium of Online Journalism
(P.S. — These debates are not new. A very good book called “The Race Beat” about journalism during the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s puts what seems like this novel debate born of the digital era in an important historical context. Strongly recommended reading. It was co-authored by another UNC grad, Gene Roberts)
We’ve heard from UNC voices Walter Hussman and Nikole Hannah-Jones. In our last reading, we’re going to go a little bit further back in time to read how one of my former UNC professors, Phil Meyer, was talking about objectivity and journalism back in the 1990s and even before. Meyer is widely regarded as the founder of the modern use of data and social science techniques to find and tell hidden stories (that is a thinly veiled pitch to those of you interested in accountability journalism to take my MEJO 570 course after you take MEJO 253).
As you read, think about what Meyer means about going “beyond objectivity.” How is journalism similar to a science like chemistry? How is it different? How is journalism like art? How is it different?
