Obama Envisions 'Golden Days' for Journalism

In the midst of this journalism crisis, which is not simply about newspapers dying but about quality reporting disappearing across platforms, there was a kernel of hope this week. Call it a moment of sanity. It came during President Obama’s remarks at the memorial service for the late CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite.

Obama said, “Journalism is more than a career; it is a public good vital to our democracy.” Read the full transcript or watch the video:

Obama’s statement couldn’t be more appropriate for today’s media environment. The erosion of quality journalism leads to the erosion of democracy. If we want to find a way out of this crisis, we must approach journalism as a public good that needs substantial public support. And it seems that Obama agrees:

If we choose to live up to Walter's example, if we realize that the kind of journalism he embodied will not simply rekindle itself as part of a natural cycle, but will come alive only if we stand up and demand it and resolve to value it once again, then I'm convinced that the choice between profit and progress is a false one -- and that the golden days of journalism still lie ahead.

But these “golden days” only lie ahead if we make them so, not if we simply wish them to be. We need to stand up and demand that the government adopt policies that protect and promote journalism. We need policies that don’t prop up the old media system, in which a select few can control the flow of news and information. We need policies that will give us more news and opinion and diversity of voices, not less.

Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Free Press does not support or oppose any candidate for public office. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media and universal access to communications.