Future of Journalism in a Polarized World (Sponsored By Ray and Diane McPhail)

The litany of complaints about the press and social media are familiar: ​ • Conflicts of interest • Bias and loss of trust in journalists and media organizations • The challenge of misinformation and disinformation in a daunting, factually complex world of      political, cultural, and economic issues • The nationalization of politics and the erosion of local journalism With thirty years directing programming for NBC News, Jeffrey Blount is uniquely positioned to explain the origins of these developments, discuss the consequences for democracy, and offer ideas for correcting, or at least mitigating the problems they pose to democracy. In this Q & A presentation, Mr. Blount will touch on a wide variety of issues: the Founders’ vision of the role of the free press in a democracy; the consequences of the adoption by TV and radio of the “entertainment” business model; the common use of “both sides,” “horse-race” and “false equivalence” political coverage rather than substantive policy analysis; the role of unconscious bias; how journalists do or should cover matters of social justice and “culture war” controversies. Join us for a lively discussion of these issues and come prepared with questions.

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