Nationalism vs. Skepticism: What is the Role of the News Media?

What role does the news media play in society? Consider these examples in order to formulate your opinion.

• (1971) The New York Times and The Washington Post begin publishing the Pentagon Papers. This 47-volume top secret report reveals the truth about our mismanaged involvement in the Vietnam War. Click here for details.
• (1972) Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post aggressively pursue leads that uncover criminal actitvity in Nixon's reelection campaign. Their dogged reporting that began with the Watergate break-in eventually leads to the downfall of President Richard Nixon. Click here for details.
• (2004) Seymour Hersh reports in The New Yorker on the prisoner abuse and torture committed by US personnel at the Abu Grahib prison in Iraq. Click here for details.
• (2005) The USA Today breaks the story of Armstrong Williams, a syndicated television and newspaper journalist, who was paid $240,000 by the Department of Education to promote President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act to the African-American community. Click here for details (downloads PDF).

Now that you've considered these examples, how would you respond to the question: What role does the news media play in society?

Is it the role of the news media to serve as an independent monitor of those individuals and institutions in power? Do we have a right to know about these abuses of power? Should journalists act as watchdogs and work to uncover injustices that affect our society? Skeptics - those in favor of monitoring the government and holding powerful individuals accountable to the public - say yes. They state that public access to government information keeps our elected officials honest and ensures the best interest of the people. Skeptics are critical of the Bush Administration's efforts to curtail the free flow of information in the wake of the September 11th attacks. They worry that laws - such as the USA PATRIOT Act - enacted just six weeks following the attacks - give the government new surveillance and detention powers that erode our First Amendment and Fourth Amendement freedoms. Skeptics believe the role of the news media is to serve as a watchdog of the government and uphold the public's right to know (see Freedom of Information Act).

However, others - the Nationalists - would disagree. They say a watchdog news media contributes to the cynicism and lack of unity in our country today. Nationalists claim that a watchdog press leads to undue witch hunts, such as the one CBS News engaged in when it raised concerns about President Bush's service in the National Guard during the Vietnam War. (Click here for details - downloads PDF.) Nationalists point out that the news media are often unjustly critical of the Bush Administration and its policies. They believe the Bush Administration is making the right decisions in the War on Terror by engaging in the Iraqi War and signing laws like the PATRIOT Act. Nationalists trust that the government needs to operate under a veil of secrecy in order to protect and defend our national security.

Instructions for Paper 1:

In Paper #1, I would like you to develop your position regarding the degree you believe the press should be skeptical or the degree to which you believe the press pushes its independence too far.

You are required to weave in aspects of our textbook and other readings.

Your paper should be approximately 5 pages long. It will be judged according to the critical thinking skills you demonstrate in your essay. Specifically, I will examine how well you:

How the War on Terrorism Affects Access to Information and the Public's Right to Know
http://www.rcfp.org/homefrontconfidential/

Freedom Forum – The State of the First Amendment
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/sofa_reports/index.aspx

The Fourth Estate: The Media’s Changing Role in Supporting Democracy
http://www.e-thepeople.org/a-national/article/11014/view

Background opinion on the USA PATRIOT Act: