The Role of Journalists

With the rise of cable news, much of journalism turned towards soundbites and infotainment. The internet accelerated this trend, with endless analysis of metrics and clicks and a move towards one page articles—because readers did not like scrolling down the page. Twitter and Facebook are perhaps the perfect example of this trend, with Twitter limited to 280 characters per tweet, and Facebook posts including only a sentence or two teaser above the link.
The press is still here, however.
The word and concept “press” is critical. The print media have a long tradition, stretching back hundreds of years, of carefully and meticulously covering the news. The Constitution enshrined the freedom of journalists to speak the truth in print. From sunshine laws to freedom of information requests to open meeting law, journalists have been guaranteed access to the documents our government (and local governments) use to make decisions.
These laws ensure access not only for journalists. The public are granted this right as well. You can walk into your village office and request virtually any document, from financials to minutes. The government must disclose this information, at request, and in many cases must publicly post information. Open meeting law dictates that government decisions occur in front of the public, giving them full access to the decision-making process.
This brings into focus one of the primary, and traditional, roles of print journalists. When we think of newspapers, <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>Washington Post</i>, and others come to mind. However, the real press is non-daily newspapers, specifically weeklies. There are roughly 7,000 weeklies across the United States, reaching 150 million people. Weeklies are the heart of the press.
The role of the weekly is to deliver local news. This coverage is primarily local government, ranging from village to school district board meetings. It is their duty to attend the meetings, digest the sometimes complex content, and provide that information to readers. Concepts such as TIDs, special assessments, and the complexities of local budgets and mill rates, require explanation. Local news also includes significant events: devasting flooding, crime, fires and car accidents, births and deaths.
Although waning, another role of the weekly is to provide community news. This takes the form of information from local organizations, photos of festivals and events, obituaries, and other hyperlocal information of note. This role of weeklies makes them unique to each community and binds them tightly to their readers. A weekly does not just cover a community, it is part of that community.
The final, and most important role of the weekly is to act as a watchdog for its community. Journalists have access to an enormous amount of information, and while this information is available to the public, journalists are responsible for understanding, curating and delivering this information.
In acting as a watchdog for its community, weeklies hit close to home. National news seems to happen out there. While national news can and does affect daily life, there is something intimate about local news. Community members personally know those involved; they may be friends, neighbors, even relatives. Community news happens here. That familiarity cannot impact local news coverage. Journalism must remain objective and provide information whether or not the public wants to hear it.
The popularity of this information cannot be a factor in the decision to print. The truth is not a slave to opinion.
This is the most important role of journalists: to speak the truth to the public. The public has a right to know about any and all incidents in their community that involve public officials and public monies. They have a right to know about any incidents that affect public policy and public safety. Journalists must protect this right.