Skip to primary content

Blog

Another Voice on Improving Reporters’ Value

 Saul Friedman, a 1963 Nieman Fellow and  former White House correspondent for Newsday and Knight Ridder newspapers, writes at Neiman Watchdog Blog:  

Why can’t reporters who cover their beats well and who become as expert as possible in that field–the law, courts, medicine, consumerism, politics, the Congress, even the presidency–write for their newspapers as if they’re writing a book or a magazine piece? If they are truly expert, as many reporters are, they need not depend on someone else for a meaningless quote. They should be freed from the constraints of “he said, she said” and provide narrative journalism, which is much more interesting than “on the other handism.” And it may come closer to the truth.

Sounds like what I have been trying to say about raising the value of journalists. I will add to that in the next couple of days. One planned blog will be aimed at making local reporters national experts and the other is dealing with editors who are not up to the task of dealing with a national talent in their midst.

Thanks to Romenesko for the tip.

Leave a Reply

Interact

About RJ

  • Your host

    Leonard Witt

    Leonard Witt is the Robert D. Fowler Distinguished Chair in Communication at Kennesaw State University and the chief blogger at PJNet.org.

    More ›

  • Advisory Board

  • What I'm thinking about

  • A Definition

    Representative Journalism, a term coined by Leonard Witt, aims to build sustainable journalism one small group at a time.

    Read More Here ›

  • Your Role

    Leonard Witt has been developing the Representative Journalism idea behind the scenes for several months. Now he is going public. You can help develop the concept into a workable model or models for mainstream media, small operations, start-ups or individual endeavors.

    Join this online think-tank either ad hoc or sign up in the box that says "Join this Community." Let's make postive change together.