Wheeling native, ex-Intelligencer reporter, all-around friend and mentor Chris Stirewalt sits close to my heart with his thoughts on journalism, the state of consumerism in news, and how to improve it all. I have published an important book.
On Tuesday, Stirewalt released “Broken News: Why the Media Rage Machine Divides America and How to Fight Back.” Stirewalt is a Fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, Contributing Editor of The Dispatch, Political Editor of his NewsNation at Nexstar, and co-host of the Ink Stained Wretches podcast.
I admit to being biased here. Last year, at the Greenbrier Resort, at the annual meeting of the West He Virginia Chamber of Commerce, he was the only person I met in person, Stirewalt. But we have similar backgrounds. I used to read his work in the Charleston Daily Mail. We both had similar roles in the same news/television network. When he was editor, I was writing an article for the Washington Examiner.
In short, I emulate his career and consider him a role model and mentor. I tracked his work at Fox News as a political editor, including the Call Out (Absolutely Right). He is completely ethical and stands by his principles. Stirewalt was the first guest when we started the Mountain State Views podcast.
Broken News is a must-read for working reporters, aspiring journalists, and news readers. This presents a simple mission for our reporters to come back to as we try to keep everyone informed.
“…we owe a deep duty to our audience and to our country to fight for a journalism that can unite, not divide,” Stirewalt wrote. “America needs a journalist who is true to her principles and who takes seriously our duty to promote helpful discourse in a healthy republic.”
I will do my best to speak as impartially as possible about Charleston’s state government. I have my own prejudices and thoughts, but facts and comments from as many sides of the issue as possible can usually drown out my own prejudices.
“The idea of total objectivity aspired to by reporters and taught in journalism schools proved unattainable in practice,” writes Stillewoldt. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t aim for fairness and balance.”
Too many reporters never stop thinking about who their audience is and who is opening the paper in the morning (or reading it online, often via phone or computer). ). It shouldn’t affect the facts of your news story, but I think it should affect the tone. You must be aware of who you are.
“Among all the ways the news industry has undermined its relationship with consumers, the loss of a common language must rank high on the list,” writes Stirewalt. “If we lose the ability to speak clearly, many problems will follow.”
Too many reporters think their audience is the people they interact with on Twitter. In West Virginia, very few people are active on Twitter, and even fewer interact with reporters. People use Twitter to post their own stories, retweet other stories, follow breaking news, and live tweet. I’m here.
I appreciate my Twitter followers, but they are just a small part of my fan base. Stirewalt isn’t a fan of what the media has done to reporters or its impact on news decisions. I agree, but there is still value in sharing stories there.
There are many more great anecdotes and lessons from Stirewalt in “Broken News”. The Ohio Valley can be proud of his one of its own.
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Speaking of Mountain State Views, the latest episode aired Friday featuring an interview with the new Executive Director of the West Virginia Democratic Party, Ryan Frankenberry. I told you about his appointment last week.
Over the past 12 years, I have watched the Republican Party move from a loyal opposition to a majority that controls state legislatures and other elected offices statewide. I am fascinated to see what makes me.
It took the Republican Party more than 80 years to regain a majority since the Great Depression began. Will the Democrat have a similar experience in his next 80 years, or will he be able to use the opportunity to win back voters faster?
It’s clear from the changes at the top of state Democrats, including the hiring of Frankenberry, that party loyalists understand that some old tactics no longer work. It helps keep people honest and achieve better governance. Republicans shouldn’t take Frankenberry and the new leadership of the State Democratic Party for granted.
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