In a piece for The Atlantic, Chuck Todd, moderator of NBC's Meet the Press, wrote journalists must fight back against what he called "the campaign to destroy the legitimacy of the American news media." He said the campaign against the media has its roots in the Nixon administration and achieved great success through the likes of Roger Ailes and his cohorts at the Fox News Channel.
Shop Talk panelist Jasmine Crighton agreed that journalists should not allow others to misrepresent what reporters do. And she said the best way for reporters to dispel cries of "fake news" is by doing really good journalism.
Crighton said journalists strive for accuracy and don't promote a political slant. She also said if reporting doesn't make you uncomfortable once in a while, then you're not following the right news organizations.
Panelist Will Buss said journalists cannot allow those promoting a particular narrative to set the agenda. He said Ailes and Rupert Murdoch profited by attacking the integrity of the rest of the media.
Buss also said organizations such as Fox want to blur the line between news and commentary to confuse the public and make money. And he disagrees with the notion of "the liberal media." He called that a weak ploy.
Panelist Rich Egger said outlets such as Fox and the Illinois News Network claim they're doing news, but he feels they’re promoting a political agenda while attacking reporting that doesn't agree with their narrative.
Jasmine Crighton is News Director of NEWS3 at Western Illinois University and Will Buss is the Director of Student Publications at WIU.
