Adversarial Media
adversarial. The reasoning behind the view is this: What the public needs,
wants or has a right to know is often embarrassing to government officials,
who might consequently be inclined to withhold or distort important
information. But is the journalist’s responsibility to uncover what the
public needs, wants or has the right to know. So journalism must be tough,
hard-hitting, probing and skeptical if it is to be responsible (p. 18).
The SPJ Code of Ethics strongly implies that adversarial journalism is socially responsible, and that this truth-seeking role often means an antagonistic relationship with other social establishments besides the government:
It [press freedom] carries with it the freedom and responsibility to discuss,
question and challenge actions and utterances of our government and
of our public and private institutions [Hulteng, 1981, p. 82 (emphasis
added)].
Yet, critics argue that adversarial journalists have gone too far. They have impeded the political process by making Americans increasingly cynical about government and causing potential candidates to shy away from elective office for fear that the media will expose embarrassing private facts. Critics also charge that the media have promulgated a certain social elitism that has driven a wedge between news organizations and the publics they serve. That is, media are often at odds with businesses (especially big business), schools, sports, religion and other public icons. And there are signs that society is growing increasingly impatient with this perceived journalistic antagonism.
Your final essay will address the following statement using the format provided on the next page.
PROPOSITION:
The media’s adversarial relationship with government and other social institutions has become counter-productive and is no longer useful.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hulteng, J.L. (1981). Playing it straight: A practical discussion of the ethical principles of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Old Chester, CN: Globe Pequot Press.
Olen, J. (1988). Ethics in journalism. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Paper Format.
INTRODUCTION: Your paper should have an introductory paragraph, which will serve as the thesis for your essay. Here, state whether you agree or disagree with the prop-osition statement and outline the basis for your argument.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT: You should present a historical evolution of this “adversarial culture” in this section of your paper. You may include other topics from media history, but you should specifically address the following topics: McCarthyism, Vietnam, Watergate and the Nixon/Agnew war on the press. You will find adequate treatment of these issues in this week’s lectures and in your textbook (Folkerts and Teeter).
MODERN CONTEXT: Find a modern example of this relationship between media and society. This will most likely be a news story in mainstream newspapers, magazines or television newscasts. Wherever it comes from, the example you choose needs to be an illustration of this adversarial role.
CONCLUSION: Finally, you should present your views on the value of the adversarial relationship. Do you feel that this aspect of media’s relationship with government and society is no longer useful? Why or why not? If you believe this tradition of reporting is still important, what do you believe media professionals must do to shed the negative image caused by always being at odds with government and social institutions? If you agree with the proposition statement, what, then, should be the media’s role?
Thinking Alert! This one takes some time. Don’t procrastinate. You should start immediately.
Follow the guidelines of preceding essay assignments to prepare this final essay. The paper will be due at the start of class on Friday, July 31. Note the course policy on late work as stated in the syllabus.