President's Column

Who isn't writing about media today? Who in journalism doesn't fret over its fragmented present and its uncertain future?

In a recent Time Magazine essay, writer Kurt Anderson sought to comfort us by comparing today's changes with those in l848, when the country became truly "wired" by Samuel Morse's telegraph. Suddenly, the nation could learn about the discovery of gold in California, or the peace treaty between the U.S. and Mexico - and even, from London, the publication of Karl Marx' "Communist Manifesto," which heralded the overthrow of the French monarchy.

So, are we just another chapter in history? With all respect to Mr. Anderson, I think not. I think we're a revolution. In "The Cult of the Amateur," author Andrew Keen bemoans the Internet, blogging, etc., as "the wisdom of the crowd vs. the wisdom of the professional." At a recent panel discussion, Ron Donoho (San Diego Magazine), Chris Jennewein (SignOnSanDiego.com) and Doris Lewis (KGTV), when asked about the "...seeming erosion of expert journalism today," modestly expressed the hope that the profession would find its new balance.

(Maybe they were thinking of investigative journalism, hanging in with the publication of The Wrong Stuff: The Extraordinary Saga of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the Most Corrupt Congressman Ever Caught! by Marcus Stern, Jerry Kammer, Dean Calbreath & George E. Condon, Jr. The story of the team's meticulous drive to out Cunningham is a testament to the profession).

Item: the U-T readers' rep Carol Goodhue's quoted editor Todd Merriman about the preponderance of Paris Hilton headlines: "The days of putting only the most important events on the front page are gone ...." !!

Are they gone because we - the media - are letting them go? When asked how newspapers, for instance, across the country can maintain professionalism and readership, Andrew Kleske, succinctly put things in reasonable order: "Just make them better," he said. ---------

We're delighted to already begin receiving your responses to our questionnaire, and will report results in the next issue of Foghorn. Like Andrew said, we're just making your Press Club - - better.

Posted August 2007