Informing The News: The Polarizing Views On The American Press

“Informing the News”
The polarizing views on the American Press Credibility and trust is one of the most intangible and vital things one could possess and once it is lost, it is very hard to gain back. Today’s polarizing views of the American Press did not just happen overnight or even during the last election, but the tension between the press, elected officials and the American people has occurred throughout our nation’s history. Our Founding Fathers wanted a nation that ensured a free press to inform, challenge, and create dialogue. The press, public officials, and the American public are at a time where credibility and trust are being questioned.
The Founding Fathers gave a lot of power to individual citizens to be able to

Are we tamer today than a century ago? To answer this question we really need to go back and look at the history of the press. Historically, the press has always been critical; for example, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln all received much criticism from the press but both were still able to lead. (Patterson, pg. 6) Newspapers over a century ago favored certain parties and would cover one side positively and the other negatively. Today we have more conservative outlets and liberal outlets that challenge one another. I believe due to the advancement of technology, we are surrounded by news constantly which may perceive the news as more critical today than in the past, but it seems like because of the constant new cycle and information out there it does affect officials to lead effectively. To be critical and report on the current news, reporters need to have source dependence. Source dependence is when an official relies on information from high-ranking sources to provide accurate information. One of the most high-ranking sources a journalist can receive information from is a public official (Patterson, pg. 33). High-ranking sources instantly give credibility to a journalist, which allows the public to give more credibility to the journalist. Just like a pyramid, the more important the government official is, the higher the importance is, versus the lower government officials whom are considered on the bottom of the pyramid when it comes to the length of airing time. Journalists cover many different stories and due to the wide range of stories there can be a “knowledge problem”. Journalists interview people who have a certain expertise in the field and know a lot of information. However, I believe this can create a disconnect sometimes between the journalist and the source. It can allow a journalist to be manipulated from their sources due to