Kalb Report explores getting back to basic truths in journalism

In the 27th season opener of The Kalb Report, moderator Marvin Kalb asked his guests to explore where the nation stands in discerning what is truth, and whether the proliferation of falsehoods on social media is undermining democracy.

 

Former CBS correspondent and Harvard University emeritus professor Marvin Kalb, moderator of the Kalb Report. Photo by Alan Kotok.
Former CBS correspondent and Harvard University emeritus professor Marvin Kalb, moderator of the Kalb Report. Photo by Alan Kotok.

“Without that commonly accepted understanding of basic truths, basic facts on which we base our government’s decisions, how do we maintain and then sustain a viable, functioning democracy?” Kalb asked.

After more than five years of basic truth and facts seemingly up for grabs, Kalb wanted his guests to explore how the news media can help sustain democracy when a large portion of the electorate no longer believes it.

Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour Anchor and Managing Editor. Photo by Alan Kotok.
Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour Anchor and Managing Editor. Photo by Alan Kotok.

“Our democracy is in trouble,” said Judy Woodruff, the anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour. “It’s not just disagreement. It’s a view that the other side is not just wrong, but they are basing their opinion on something that is false, not based on any sort of fundamental facts. That has led us down this perilous path where we have people saying vaccinations aren’t safe, where people are denying the results of the election in 2020.”

Eugene Robinson, Washington Post columnist and MSNBC analyst. Photo by Alan Kotok.
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post columnist and MSNBC analyst. Photo by Alan Kotok.

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson said the present situation is not just a left-right divide.

“So many people get their information that is wrong – and dangerous,” he said. 

Many people in Mississippi have taken dangerous doses of a veterinary de-worming drug to try to cure themselves of Covid 19, he said. He noted that rather than get their information from a professional news source, they are getting it from people they believe on social media, such as Facebook.

Ted Koppel, former ABC News Nightline Anchor now a commentator for CBS News. Photo by Alan Kotok.
Ted Koppel, former ABC News Nightline Anchor now a commentator for CBS News. Photo by Alan Kotok.

“Anybody can access potentially thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of people,” said former ABC Nightline anchor Ted Koppel. “And the tragedy is that that those who put out the most outrageous information are likely to get the greatest number of clicks.”

There have been times in the nation’s history when bad journalism took root, he said, “but we’ve never had an era before when anybody, and particularly those with malicious intent, can reach an audience of millions of people.”

It began, he said, in 1988 with the end of the Fairness Doctrine that required broadcasters with federal licenses to provide opposing views for their editorial positions. Within months, Rush Limbaugh launched a radio program with no pretense at evenhandedness. That led to many imitators, including the creation of Fox News.

Koppel noted that last month at a gathering in South Dakota for an election fraud symposium hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a speaker told a CNN reporter: “The CNNs of the world, you guys, need to start reporting this and stop fact checking it."

“That’s just absolutely wrong,” Koppel said. “Fact-checking has to be the basis – the starting point for what we do.”

Too many news outlets of all stripes have strayed from factual reporting, allowing opinion to seep into their reportage as they respond to what they are seeing on social media.

“We need to go back to the fundamental things we were taught as young journalists, and that is report, report, report,” Woodruff said.  “Seek the facts. Shine a light on information people don’t know, and they need to know.”

The Kalb Report is a joint project of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, University of Maryland Global Campus, the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center, the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma, and the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. It is underwritten by a grant from the Inasmuch Foundation, and Maryland Public Television serves as the presenting station for national distribution.

The full video can be viewed below.