Biased Journalism. Fake News. Can We Trust the Media?

Have you ever been misquoted by a reporter? Or had a media outlet say something about you or your organization that wasn’t accurate? Have you ever read or watched two different reports on the same event and wondered how they could be so different?

If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, you’re not alone. In Gallup’s annual survey reporting on the confidence Americans have in major U.S. institutions in 2022, television news came in second to last (just behind Congress) and newspapers ranked just three places above television news.

Even though most of us agree that a free press is essential to a free society, distrust of the media is high and getting higher. To explore this important topic, I invited Katie Gaultney, senior correspondent for World Magazine, to be my guest on The Crossman Conversation.

“It’s easy to understand in this click-bait, 24-hour news cycle, social media, hair-on-fire climate we find ourselves in why people don’t know who to trust and why they’re unhappy with organizations that purport to be trustworthy and clearly have an agenda,” Katie said. “It’s like drinking from a fire hose and you don’t know if the water is from a natural spring of it it’s wastewater.”

We discussed the lack of humility in most of the so-called experts who appear on news shows these days, as well as the snarky, sarcastic style that seems to be the trademark of many pundits but is benefiting no one. We talked about the need for discernment on the part of news consumers. And we talked about the current culture of divisiveness that is being driven by the media.

Katie shared her thoughts on the importance of local news and how focusing on local issues can often bring people who are diametrically opposed on national issues together. Find out what’s going on in your neighborhoods, identify problems, and come up with solutions—that’s how we come together in community and rise above our differences.

Have you heard of the Ezekiel 33:6 mandate? Katie explained what it is and why news organizations need to live up to it.

To hear that and more, go to:

https://www.theshepherdradio.com/podcasts/the-crossman-conversation/episode/s1e44-katie-gaultney-senior-correspondent-for-world-magazine-shares-on-the-publics-perception-of-todays-media/

To hear more about the Reforming Journalism Project and the effort to restore trustworthy local news sources, listen to my conversation with Marvin Olasky:

https://www.theshepherdradio.com/podcasts/the-crossman-conversation/episode/s1e28-longtime-journalist-marvin-olasky-discusses-journalism-in-the-age-of-the-internet/

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John Crossman is the founder of Crossman Career Builders, the host of The Crossman Conversation, and the author of Career Killers Career Builders. Check out Crossman Career Builders on YouTube. Connect with John on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.