This past week, Carl Bernstein gave an important and timely speech about the state of American journalism at the University of Auburn-Montgomery. Mr. Bernstein knows of which he speaks. The now legendary journalist, along with his partner at The Washington Post, Bob Woodward, changed the face of investigative journalism forever--and not always for the better, he would surely say--when they broke and then drove the Watergate story that brought down a sitting president thirty years ago.
For all of the obvious reasons--CBS/MemoGate, Jason Blair/NYT, USA Today--and many reasons perhaps not so obvious to many of you, Mr. Bernstein's words should be known by all whom toil in the trenches of the Fourth Estate. They should also be known by all whom read, watch or listen to the news produced by those of us who once upon a time chose journalism as a noble calling.
I had meant to post this story several days ago, but deadlines kept me away from these pages much of this past past week. Since I cannot count on the link staying active for any length of time, I am re-producing in full the article that appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser on September 22.
The primary purpose of politics and journalismshould be to serve the good of the people, but they have become dysfunctional, disconnected and have lost touch with their purpose, former Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein said today.
"I do not remember a time I felt as unhopeful about politics and journalism as I do now," Bernstein said.
Bernstein, who broke the Watergate scandal in the 1970s with fellow Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, spoke during today's session of the business breakfast series at Auburn University Montgomery.
There is pressure among news organizations to compete with each other, Bernstein said. Each wants to be first and they do not want to miss stories.
Hurrying to be first can cause problems, he said. For example, had more serious questions been asked about the reports in the CBS story about President George W. Bush's service in the National Guard, the story might have been more sound.
"Obviously, the story should have been held until more reporting was done," he said, also noting that CBS executives have stripped their news operation of resources over the last several years.
The incident was a terrible error and is bad for journalism, he said.
When Jason Blair fabricated stories at the New York Times and Janet Cook at The Washington Post, those newspapers published pages of stories for several days on their errors and the failure in their procedures, he said. They ordered full investigations.
Bernstein changed gears. "I am waiting for Congress to investigate themselves the same way," he said.
And while the CBS story is dominating the news, people are forgetting about the real story: whether Bush actually fulfilled his military obligations, he said.
Bernstein asked the crowd how many people believed the Swift Boat advertisements about Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president, and his service in Vietnam. A few people raised their hands.
"The basic element (of the ads) is just plain factually wrong," he said. "Read everything there is to know."
He also commented on what he called the "astonishing amount of untruth from the White House" and the need for the media to explore it.
"We're not doing enough to report on the untruth," Bernstein said.
On the war in Iraq, he said many Republicans, when talking off of the record, are "becoming convinced this war is a catastrophe."
"There is real debate to be had on this war," Bernstein said.
Bernstein also asked the crowd if they believed there was a liberal bias in the media and several people nodded their heads. He challenged the crowd to read the news pages of the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal and find a liberal bias.
If people read those publications, they are going to have a very different view on Iraq than they are hearing from the government, Bernstein said.
"There is plenty of information for voters to make a choice," he said. "There is not enough information on talk television."
In the last 10 years, a handful of corporations including AOL/Time Warner, Viacom, Bertlesman and Disney, have taken control of most television outlets, Bernstein said.
"They control so much of the agenda and their interest in the truth is largely secondary to profits," he said, noting that he receives checks from several of them for work he performs on their behalf.
"The agenda of television is driving the agenda of news," he said.
Bernstein encouraged people to seek out the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal and other independent sources of information. There is enough information in the news pages, not the editorial pages, of those publications for people to form their own opinions on issues, he said.
"It is impossible to be informed in a meaningful way without reading," Bernstein said.
With the World Wide Web, people have access to these outlets and to overseas publications, he said.
"We're not hemmed in except by choice as far as the best obtainable version of the truth," Bernstein said.
The most troubling aspect of television is the news shows, which have little news but instead feature people with ideological beliefs arguing about the issue, he said.
"Most of that 24 hours is talking heads shouting at each other," Bernstein said.
"Television, both local and national, is ceasing to serve the public," he said.
Despite that, there are some programs, such as 60 Minutes, and individuals including Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw with standards and integrity, Bernstein said.
Still, he said, television news has a lack of interest in real news. He talked about the "triumph of idiot culture," in which people would rather read about celebrities than important news and prominent political figures.
At some point, the general public, voters, readers, and viewers must be held responsible for what they know, Bernstein said.
"The news agenda of local news has nothing to do with the best obtainable version of the truth," Bernstein said.
There will be sensational coverage of car wrecks and shootings, but not the affects of what is really happening at city hall, with legislation or in the city neighborhoods, he said.
D'Linell Finley Sr., assistant professor in the Department of a Political Science and Public Administration at AUM, said he was not surprised by anything Bernstein said, but thought he pointed out real problems with the media and the public.
Finley said he has watched the situation progress with CBS. People have lost sight of the real issue, which is whether the president fulfilled his obligation, he said. That is a relevant question whether or not the document questioned in the CBS incident ever surfaced, Finley said.
"The public would like to know the real version of this," he said.
Finley agreed with Bernstein that people are responsible for much of the burden and they need to read and inform themselves.
