Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post writes:

[elleng]

"We need to abandon neutrality-at-all-costs journalism, to replace it with something more suited to the moment. Call it Fairness First."

"I’m talking about the kind of fairness that serves the public by describing the world we report on in honest and direct terms — not the phony kind of fairness that tries to duck out of difficult decisions by giving “both sides” of an argument equal time, regardless of their truth or merit." https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/66a3fc48-5425-11ea-9e47-59…

[Kurt V.]

1. Kudos to Sullivan. getting the TV ppl to go along is the challenge.

[Cosmocat]

2. Oh dear god YES

nm

[scarletwoman]

3. Your link didn't work for me. I've reposted it below:

We have entered the Trump Unbound era — and journalists need to step it up.

It's definitely worthwhile to read the entire article!

[empedocles]

4. When trump clearly lies, we all need to say so - no 'the President says . . .'

[KPN]

5. THIS. Thanks for the leadership Margaret Sullivan

[Karadeniz]

6. I was just thinking about this! There is usually only one truth, although it may have more than

One ramification. In these times, journalists need to be clear as to what that one truth is.

[CBHagman]

7. Margaret Sullivan's column is not to be missed.

Almost two years back she had a piece on the notion of the "truth sandwich" (Credit George Lakoff). It's about the media's difficulty (and at times outright failure) to adjust to reporting on someone who not only attempts to control the narrative, usually via tweet, but also lies brazenly, unashamedly, continually, reflexively.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/instead-of-trumps-propaganda-how-about-a-nice-truth-sandwich/2018/06/15/80df8c36-70af-11e8-bf86-a2351b5ece99_story.html

Instead of treating [Trump's] every tweet and utterance — true or false — as newsworthy (and then perhaps fact-checking it later), Lakoff urges the use of what he calls a “truth sandwich.”

First, he says, get as close to the overall, big-picture truth as possible right away. (Thus the gist of the Trump-in-Singapore story: Little of substance was accomplished in the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, despite the pageantry.) Then report what Trump is claiming about it: achievement of world peace. And then, in the same story or broadcast, fact-check his claims.

That’s the truth sandwich — reality, spin, reality — all in one tasty, democracy-nourishing meal.

[Blue_Tires]

8. co-signed...