Mediating Journalism

While the wonderful Columbia Journalism Review is more financially sustainable than ever, the American Journalism Review--not so much, reports Editor & Publisher. It fact, it may not last through 2007.

CJR's Mike Hoyt champions the cause of his publication's prime competitor, for the best of reasons:

" ... we can’t think of a time when the mission of the journalism review was more significant. Once upon a time magazines like theirs and ours were largely cops on the beat, blowing our whistle at ethical transgressions and swinging the occasional baton at lazy or unfair coverage. the job has grown, and perhaps the greatest part of it is this: we’re here to help journalism and those who care about it think through a confluence of social, political, technical, and financial challenges that threaten the very existence of the kind of reporting and analysis that a working democracy needs in order to stay healthy."

Particularly at this moment, when the news media still hasn't come to terms with its utter failure in covering the lead up to the Iraq war--and to untold death and suffering--the loss of a major media watchdog would be too sad.

On that note, if you haven't yet checked out Bill Moyers' "Buying the War," what in god's sweet name are you waiting for?

Comments

[Jeff]

I think so many of us in the 'general public' are fighting to keep up with the media available online and in print, that idea of going to the next level--consuming media about the media--is a far-flung dream.

At the same time, with the Iraq war debacle, the sale of the Wall Street Journal, and the absurdities 'liberal media' claims, it's dawning on many of us to questions where our news is coming from, and what interests are embedded in our media sources.

Maybe I should skip the Washington Post completely and skip straight to the journalism reviews...