The Media’s Independence Problem

In other words, if the government isn't talking about it, we don't report it. This somewhat jarring declaration, one of many recent admissions by journalists that their reporting failed to prepare the public for the calamitous occupation that has followed the "liberation" of Iraq, reveals just how far the actual practice of American journalism has deviated from the First Amendment ideal of a press that is independent of the government. A fundamental tenet of our First Amendment tradition is that journalists do not simply recount what government officials say, but function instead as the people's "watchdog" over their government, subjecting its words and deeds to independent critical scrutiny. As Washington Post columnist David Ignatius explains, however, these expectations are often frustrated, because journalists have "rules of our game" that "make it hard for us to tee up an issue... without a news peg." This means that "if Senator so and so hasn't criticized post-war planning for Iraq, then it's hard for a reporter to write a story about that." Instead, reporters say to themselves, "I have to wait for somebody [in Washington} to make a statement, and then I'll report on the statement." Ignatius describes the inability of the major media to focus on an issue unless "Senator so and so"