Journalism in Jeopardy
Jody Hawkins
Issue date: 2/26/10 Section: Journalism
If we continue to exist on a diet of tabloid headlines with no depth, how can we possibly think our place in the world is secure? We fall far behind when it comes to college graduates in 25-35 age range, ranked seventh in the world in the number of college graduates by the National Report Card for Higher Education and according to Pew Research Center 25 percent of 18-24 year olds choose not to consume news at all.
The number of mainstream American journalists who report to us on what is happening in our nations capital has shrunk from about 600 in 1985 to 300 in 2008 with current numbers likely much lower, while the number of foreign correspondents in Washington D.C. has grown to 1600. The Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera has 105 accredited staff members alone, covering our congress based on a Pew Research Center report in 2009.
How can we have a successful democracy, a government by the people, if the people are ignorant of what is happening with our government?
The number of mainstream American journalists who report to us on what is happening in our nations capital has shrunk from about 600 in 1985 to 300 in 2008 with current numbers likely much lower, while the number of foreign correspondents in Washington D.C. has grown to 1600. The Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera has 105 accredited staff members alone, covering our congress based on a Pew Research Center report in 2009.
How can we have a successful democracy, a government by the people, if the people are ignorant of what is happening with our government?
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