Journalism in a downward spiral

Inthe Washington Examiner, Salena Zito writes about journalism in today’s America.

Our industry is in a downward spiral. Part of the problem is our lack of diversity in newsrooms — not just on race and gender, but also in the place and experiences reporters come from. We need more reporters who went to state schools, come from working-class backgrounds and don’t hold that background in contempt, who are pro-life, sit in a pew regularly, and own a gun or two.

Look at the coverage of working-class people, which is consistently condescending. Same with coverage for Christian conservatives and pro-lifers (if they get covered at all). Own a gun? Basically, you are a dangerous nut in the eyes of most journalists.

People outside of Washington wonder why the major media deploy an army of fact-checkers to seek a fault in every word the president says, but somehow they have failed to investigate the past of any of Virginia’s statewide elected officials.

Reporters often blame Trump for the cantankerous relationship between the D.C. press and the rest of the country. Their blame is misplaced. This has been brewing for decades, and had they traveled outside of D.C., they would know that.

Read more here.