Media needs to get serious about journalism after Trump and Brexit fiascos says BBC Global News CEO
Media companies that consider themselves committed to responsible journalism should – and will – adopt a more impartial and balanced approach in their reporting in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election as US President, the chief executive of BBC Global News has predicted.
Jim Egan said he expects media firms, many of whom were caught out by Trump’s victory, lost sight of his support base and derided his bid for the White House, to reflect on their coverage and return to “old fashioned” values of quality journalism.
Speaking with Mumbrella on a visit to Sydney, Egan added that news organisations have been too “precious” in deciding which political figures are palatable and who should or shouldn’t be interviewed or given air time.
Unfortunately, it won’t make any difference to ABC News and current affairs. A few years ago, in an internal staff presentation, we were told that NewsCaff saw its role as not “reporting the news” but “setting the agenda”. Sadly, getting it totally wrong over Brexit and Trump will not detract them from continuing to do so. In fact, they’ll probably bunker-down even further in Ultimo fantasy-land and redouble their efforts to force their own agenda on the wider public that’s paying their wages, comforted by the conviction that everyone around them believes that they are right and those who disagree are wrong. As NewsCaff extends its tentacles into regional radio and now Radio National, very soon the entire ABC will be tainted with this delusion. Sad really. Vale ABC.
Journalism might engender more respect if multiple online outlets didn’t appropriate and reproduce the same article, word for word, in their various publications; in the pretense it provides substance and diversity, when actually it’s all about convergence and cost cutting.