When journalism forgets its purpose
A reflection on truth, advocacy and why responsible journalism remains essential to preserving public trust and the health of democracy.
journalism
Opinion
Opinion
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See recent postsMedia must scrutinize power, not police morality
With such power comes a profound responsibility to discern the public interest from morbid curiosity.
Opinion
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See recent postsFacing each day, finding hope
People text me news tips all the time. Most of them are unfounded rumors. I’m sure my other colleagues at Alabama Political Reporter get their share. We should never simply pass on a rumor or, as Donald Trump says, “fake” news. And the vast majority of us in journalism understand our responsibility in this. But … Continued
Opinion
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See recent postsYeah, people are ‘disgruntled’
We have to give credit to the staff at the University of Alabama’s Crimson White newspaper. They carefully and accurately reported a difficult story about the hiring of the university’s new director of the Office of Student Media. That’s what good journalism is all about. One of the top candidates for UA director of student … Continued
Opinion
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See recent postsRestoring ethics in journalism
One of the titanium pillars of our constitution that has clearly distinguished us from other free societies is our First Amendment. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; … Continued
Opinion
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See recent postsA real “enemy of the people”
I’m pretty fortunate, in that I’ve got two great careers. I write for this great news organization each week, continuing the mostly political columns about Alabama I wrote for a more than a quarter of a century for The Birmingham News, back when The News was a newspaper. I also write the monthly back-page column … Continued
Opinion
Opinion
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See recent postsComforting the afflicted, afflicting the comfortable
One of the fundamental goals of journalism is to see things as they are and to report them accurately. Conversely, one of journalism’s greatest failures is to see a story through a particular ideological prism which renders the reporting inaccurate. While point-of-view commentary can be part of an editorial’s framework, it should be based in … Continued
Reporter Sam Mattison has passed away
Rising political journalist Samuel “Sam” Mattison has passed away. Sam broke into the world of journalism as an intern with the Alabama Political Reporter in March 2017, where he covered the Alabama Legislature and most of the major events affecting state government in Alabama. After his internship, Sam was retained as a regular contributor because … Continued
The Auburn Plainsman receives multiple awards from APA
The student-run newspaper for Auburn University, The Auburn Plainsman, has garnered 12 awards in the Alabama Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest over the last few weeks. The Plainsman Editor-in-Chief Chip Brownlee wears many hats including his role at Alabama Political Reporter where he maintains the news organization’s website and works as a valued reporter. “The … Continued
Jones testifies before International Trade Commission on negative impact of newsprint tariffs
Tuesday, U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Alabama) testified at a hearing held by the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) on the negative impacts recently imposed newsprint tariffs have had on Alabama’s newspapers. Jones has advocated to stop to these tariffs, which are already hurting newspapers. In April, Jones wrote a letter to U.S. Department of … Continued