New Release Tuesday: Newsroom Confidential

Even though I don’t get to work very much in the field of journalism currently, it still has a place in my heart. It’s not perfect, it’s easy to get cynical about it, but it’s also quite misunderstood by many readers. Margaret Sullivan’s book, Newsroom Confidential, takes on some of those challenging questions and misunderstandings, offering a view from the journalist’s side that I hope many media consumers will read and consider.

Sullivan worked in the news industry for decades, both at local papers and national papers. She held a variety of roles, from reporter to columnist, from public editor to top editor roles. Coming of age with Woodward and Bernstein as role models, Sullivan has watched public trust in the news media steadily decline over the decades, until it’s reached an all-time low. As she considers all she knows about the field and the shortcomings of reporting over the years, Sullivan acknowledges that a solution isn’t particularly easy. Rebuilding trust and restoring journalism to a foundational role in democracy requires hard work and mind shifts within the field, but also within the minds of readers.

When I started this book, I wasn’t expecting it to take on the idea of public trust in the media. I was expecting something more of an anecdotal book telling stories and experiences from Sullivan’s career in journalism. And although it was a little disheartening to read her stark view of the state of the field now (which is undeniable, to be sure), Sullivan’s book also provides some hope. If nothing else, it serves as a reminder (or a news flash for readers, maybe) that the majority of journalists have good intentions of promoting truth to their readers. The waters have gotten muddy over the years, but with a few exceptions, most organizations aim to tell the truth, not propaganda.

Sullivan doesn’t pull any punches when highlighting some of the serious failings of journalistic institutions over the years, even ones she used to work for. Global news leaders who failed to apply appropriate skepticism and curiosity over big stories undermined journalism as a whole, leading to plummeting public trust in news media and a challenging pit to emerge from.

She also takes on the idea of objectivity, a topic that is fraught, to be sure. She says how she’s encountered readers who say, “I just want the news to give me the facts and let me decide.” I’ve definitely heard that before. And on the surface, it sounds OK. But, as Sullivan points out, that kind of definition is part of what has led to a false equality approach to all topics, even if it means offering the truth and a lie as equally acceptable “facts.”

Although she offers some ideas for how journalism can make a comeback, Sullivan’s book isn’t entirely, or even mostly, prescriptive. Instead, it gives readers a lot to think about. It’s a reminder to media consumers that journalists don’t check their humanity at the door, and that they are required to make some judgments in the name of presenting the truth. Most of us would agree that a story presenting the earth as a sphere and the earth as flat would be ridiculous. We’d lose some faith in the credibility of the organization that gave both ideas equal weight and attention. Yet, often this is exactly what readers claim they want, what they believe is “unbiased” and “objective” journalism.

Sullivan tackles a messy subject in this book. Many big news outlets have betrayed public trust by not doing due diligence. Readers then are wary of trusting what they read. It’s a vicious cycle that will take work to break and shows of good faith on both sides. Sullivan’s book overall is one that takes the view of hope.

For myself, this is a book I would recommend to people within and without the field. I’ve heard my fair share of complaints from family and friends about media objectivity and how they “just want the facts.” And I’ve also seen and experienced news that balances to unequal “viewpoints.” When journalists listen to what readers are concerned about and when readers understand how journalism is supposed to work, I think there’s room for productive and meaningful dialogue, and that’s where healing the disconnect begins.