Steve Katz (left) and Trent Seibert
The future of journalism – particularly investigative journalism – rests not in the hands of large mainstream media outlets but rather with individuals wielding new technology, according to two prominent journalists who spoke Oct. 5 at Presbyterian College.
Mother Jones publisher Steve Katz and Trent Seibert, editor of Texas Watchdog, were panelists for the college’s annual Russell-Lanier Symposium on Media and Technology, where they gave frank testimony on the decline of most in-depth investigative journalism from commercial news sources.
Changes in the newspaper business have “hollowed out” newsrooms and, in many cases, drastically reduced the number of reporters writing to fill ever-shrinking news “holes,” said Katz. On the other hand, he argued, there are new opportunities for small, “nimble” organizations to engage in not-for-profit journalism like that of both Mother Jones and Texas Watchdog.
A self-described “newspaper guy” with years’ experience breaking news on government corruption, Seibert said he started Texas Watchdog by making a proposal to a foundation to fund a digital publishing venture that specializes in “accountability journalism.”
“I like following the money,” he said. “… Basically, I don’t trust anyone in power.”
Seibert admitted that he didn’t know if non-profit journalism has staying power but believes it is a viable stopgap until new models evolve. His greatest hope, he said, is an army of citizen-journalists who keep those in power in check.
“Every one of you is a potential media powerhouse,” he said, pulling out his camera phone. “You can become your own media empire. This gives give you tremendous power and, believe me, it scares the people in power.”
Katz said small operations like Mother Jones and Texas Watchdog also can network with larger media operations to get important stories read by wider audiences. As credible, ethical news sources, Seibert said, larger media operations are eager to publish well-done, solid reporting.
Katz raised another issue leading to the decline of investigative reporting, the steady replacement of fair, thorough, factual investigative pieces with falsely balanced “he said, she said” pieces that lend equal credibility to both sides of an argument or issue. Instead of worrying about bias, he said journalists should be clear and transparent about their point of view and mission. News consumers, then, must make media literacy a priority.
“This is a very different media environment,” Katz said. “And it’s not going back to the way it used to be.”