The Utility of Journalism
How unjust. My beautiful Washington Post suffers from a business model that rewards her virtuous burden of veracity with poverty. After creating a system to monitor current events with RSS feeds some fifteen years ago, I watched the ripples of ideas across American media. I saw, in real time, as headlines appeared. It was expected that the wire services would be copied. A new revelation to me was that the ideas from the Washington Post and the New York Times represented the lion’s share of information reflected shortly thereafter in electronic publishing selling commercials. Sounds fine. But it is not. The ethos of our august institutions was being hijacked by lies and influence campaigns, that ran right along side the poor imitations of great ideas from our newshounds.
The lack of regulation of our attention economy has left the world saddled with a vector for disinformation and misinformation. In my time observing current events, I have never seen a remarkable amount of such debris published in my cherished American newspapers, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. Oh, they might have published some. Foreign influence campaigns are sophisticated, relentless, and hard to spot. But our papers, by their very business model, have developed defenses against that sort of thing.
To make money, newspapers have to sell subscriptions. The value of those subscriptions comes from the information they provide. If newspapers damage their credibility by lying, or publishing obvious Russian propaganda, they damage their own interests. They would sell fewer papers, and the power of their voice would be diminished.
Additionally, over the last few hundred years we have developed a regime of laws that regulate the printed press. It’s pretty good. It prevents evils like defamation, misunderstanding, and the intentional use of media to manipulate a populace.
For some reason, most of these rules don’t apply to electronic publishing.
Because the business model of newspapers requires veracity, and because printed newspapers are subject to an excellent code of conduct, they represent a source of information that can be trusted by the American people. Donald Trump did a tremendous disservice to his supporters by suggesting people who criticized him were liars. He forced them into a savage pen of bad ideas, many of which were designed by our enemies to influence us. An intellectual tragedy for some American people.
Because of the truth that they print, I am happy to pay for information that is curated, insightful, and free from foreign influence campaigns. It would be a bargain at twice the price.
But wait, they provide more. Our newspapers have unique utility in the effort to protect democracy. Our journalists, as you might expect, are excellent. They provide us additional insights, and the benefit of experience, but they also improve the institutions of our government.
When our government makes assertions, they question. When we accuse, they inquire. Our amazing State department says Russia is using RT to undermine democracy in Moldova. “Where did the information come from?” The newshounds howl.
“What was the source? Follow the money,” they bark at each other!
My jovial appreciation aside, the sharp minds of our journalists serve the citizens of the United States. They lay intellectual siege to our institutions, so that they are fortified for the people. I celebrate them! Probe their assertions, and probe them again! The paw of power deserves the perennial thorn! Our righteously motivated professionals can take it.
Please find the essay above, read by a voice from 11Elevenlabs below! She is fake, but the words are always mine.