Reckoning for Relevance: Envisioning the potential and possibilities of the Public Editor role
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This document discusses the role of the public editor in journalism and proposes ways to make the role more relevant. It begins by providing various terms used to describe public editors and noting their declining numbers globally. It then discusses key crises in journalism around trust, disinformation, and lack of diversity. The document proposes that the public editor role could be strengthened by holding journalists accountable for accurate, ethical and representative coverage. It suggests public editors should audit newsroom diversity, champion anti-racist journalism, and ensure coverage does not perpetuate inequality. Finally, it presents a hypothetical job specification for a public editor focused on accountability and inclusive coverage.
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Reckoning for Relevance: Envisioning the potential and possibilities of the Public Editor role
- 1. Reckoning for Relevance: Envisioning the potential and possibilities of the Public Editor role Kathy English RISJ Journalism Fellow, Michaelmas 2020 @kathyenglish
- 2. What is a Public Editor? “News Ombudsman” “Conscience of the Newsroom” “Newsroom Cop” “Coroner” “Readers’ Editor” “Church Lady of Journalism” “Watchdog’s Watchdog” “Honest Broker” “Soul Searcher” “Head Prefect” “Guidance Counsellor” “Moral Compass” “Scold”
- 3. Journalism’s “Endangered Species” ● 60 global members of Organization of News Ombudsman and Standards Editors (ONO) includes public editors and readers’ editors & formed in 1980 ● “If it is such a good idea to have a news ombudsman, why are there only less than 100 news ombudsmen in the world?”
- 4. Why has this form of public-facing journalistic accountability and media self- regulation been viewed with, at best, indifference, and at worst, disdain and dire predictions of its demise?
- 5. Could the public editor role be more relevant to journalism’s current crises?
- 6. Core crises in Journalism • Crisis of trust in global journalism • Disinformation • How does public judge trustworthy “real news”? • Journalism has failed in representing and reflecting diverse publics • Need for accountability for anti-racist journalism
- 7. Journalism needs Accountability • Who holds powerful journalists to account for ethical, accurate, fair and representative journalism – the “real news” we need to counter disinformation and misinformation? • Who ensures that journalists in your newsroom and community get it right and abide by journalism’s professional standards?
- 8. The “Ideal” Public Editor • Operate for the public good in holding journalists to account • Fully independent • Publicly and critically assess journalism • Defend rights of news audiences • Requires proactive, executive powers, not just power of moral authority • Public Editor creates transparency • Public Editor should not be the “complaints department” • Public Editor is not “PR”
- 9. Public Editor ● Toronto Star public editor’s office launched in 1972 (as ombudsman) Independent of newsroom, reports to publisher
- 10. ● Interact with more than 1,000 readers a month (300+ require action, 1,200 corrections in 2019)
- 11. ● Explain journalism to readers and concerns of readers to journalists. Hold journalists to account for standards.
- 13. “We should be prepared to explain publicly what we do in gathering and presenting news and information and the journalistic judgments involved in all we publish.” Toronto Star Statement of Accountability and Transparency
- 15. The Public Editor and Trustworthy Journalism • Public Editor explains journalism to news audiences, creating transparency • Public Editor holds newsroom to account publicly for ethical journalism • Public Editor can correct mistakes, defend against unfounded charges of error
- 16. Public Editor and Trust Indicators 1. Best Practices ● Policies & practices? ● Ownership & funding 2. Journalist information ● Topic & demographic expertise ● Body of work 3. Label news, analysis, opinion ● Paid content ● Other editorial genres 4. Citations and references ● Source information? 5. Methods ● Why a priority? ● Process? 6. Locally sourced? ● Expertise, presence ● Mission 7. Diverse voices ● Social, demographic? ● Staffing? 8. Actionable feedback ● Public listening? ● Accountability? SOURCE: THE TRUST PROJECT
- 17. ONO survey results 100% Uphold journalistic standards codes 92% Explain trustworthy journalism to public 88% Correct mistakes 78% Involved with initiatives to distinguish news from opinion 73% Participate in training for journalistic standards
- 18. 96% say their role is essential to trustworthy journalism “I have one of the few roles that allow for direct communication with news consumers about how trustworthy journalism works.” “It is not enough that you say you are doing trustworthy journalism. You have to do it. And if it is challenged, you have to answer for it. I am part of that process.”
- 19. 35% play a role a role in ensuring the diversity of newsrooms in sources in news or staffing 50% Called on to communicate with news audiences about diversity in news ONO survey results: Diversity
- 20. Trust Project: Diverse Voices “What are the newsroom’s efforts to bring in diverse perspectives across social and demographic differences?” “Are some communities or perspectives included only in stereotypical ways, or, completely missing?”
- 21. 50 Years of Talking About Diversity in Journalism “Along with the country as a whole, the press has too long basked in a white world, looking out of it, if at all, with white men’s eyes and a white perspective. That is no longer good enough. The painful process of readjustment that is required of the news media must begin now.” - The Kerner Report (1968), National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders
- 22. - Robert C Maynard, Washington Post Ombudsman, 1971-72 50 Years of Talking About Diversity in Journalism “This country cannot be the country we want it to be if its story is told by only one group of citizens. Our goal is to give all Americans front door access to the truth.” Supplied by Maynard Institute
- 23. Diversity Demands Accountability “Diversity is not nice to have, it’s essential.” - Alexandra Borchardt, Senior Research Fellow, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism “Driving change, when it comes to diversity, starts with gathering data.” - Federica Cherubini, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism “If your newsroom is not diverse, you are getting the news wrong.” - Dorothy Byrne, Head of News and Current Affairs, Channel 4
- 24. “Issues are covered like a conversation among white people; ‘Look an Indian was murdered down by the river, you should stay away [...] So many issues get reframed, rewritten or discarded because they have to be of interest to white boomer males.” - Karyn Pugliese, Ryerson School of Journalism professor, citizen of the Pikwàkanagàn First Nation in Ontario
- 25. Rethinking Journalism’s Values • Journalism has not regarded diversity and inclusion as a must-do aligned with trustworthy journalism’s values of accuracy, fairness and public accountability • Journalism’s standards and values must evolve and expand to include diversity, inclusion and equality as core ethical principles of journalism
- 26. Global journalism must identify and commit publicly to core reasons to diversify – how diversity is related to journalistic mission.
- 27. Journalism’s Moral Mission • Question and reveal anything that denies or undermines equality to anyone because of their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability or class • Stand up for equal dignity for all and speak out against that which diminishes the universal human rights of citizens in a democracy
- 28. Reckoning with Failure • Role of public editor/news ombudsman has failed to take hold in global journalism despite more than 50 years since role launched. • Journalism has failed to represent and reflect diverse publics in content and staffing despite more than 50 years of talk.
- 29. Is there a solution that would make the public editor role more relevant to journalism and create needed accountability for diversity and inclusion in news content and staffing?
- 30. Could the public editor role evolve to hold journalism to public account for diversity, inclusion and equality?
- 31. • Accountability to the public is core to the work of a public editor • Diversity and inclusion in journalism demands public accountability • This is essential, long needed work. Someone must do it Why Not?!
- 32. • Assess and audit newsroom staffing • Report diversity and inclusion data to public • Champion anti- racist news coverage • Criticize –publicly – coverage that perpetuates inequality • Create public understanding of why diversity, inclusion and equality matters to journalism and universal human rights society What Would a Publics’ Editor Do?
- 33. Help wanted: A Job Spec We are seeking an individual with a strong journalistic ethical compass and understanding of anti-racist journalism and its moral mission to represent and reflect equal dignity for all. The primary objective is to ensure the accountability and transparency of this news organisation through regular public reporting on our journalism and its impact on the multiple, diverse communities we seek to serve. You will have proactive oversight responsibility for accuracy, fairness and the ethical professional standards of trustworthy journalism, including diverse and inclusive journalism of equality.
- 34. Kathy English is currently chair of the board of the Canadian Journalism Foundation. She can be reached at: kathylynnenglish@gmail.com @kathyenglish
Notes de l'éditeur
- There is no one way of being a public editor. I have seen the role referred to as the conscious of the newsroom, newsroom cop, newsroom coroner, newsroom scold, moral compass of the newsroom, the watchdog’s watchdog, the designated soul searcher, a guidance counsellor, an in-house journalism professor, head prefect, honest broker, journalism’s last line of defence, and the loneliest job in the newsroom. The late New York Times media critic,David Carr, once told me he regarded the role as “the Church Lady of journalism” -- a reference to the smug, holier-than-thou, judgmental character played by comedian Dana Carvey on the American TV institution, Saturday Night Live.
- Why has this form of public-facing journalistic accountability and media self-regulation been viewed with, at best, indifference, and at worst, disdain and dire predictions of its demise? According to the membership rolls of the Organization of News Ombudsmen and Standards Editors (ONO), [1]which also represents public editors and readers’ editors, there are now only about 60 people in the world serving in this unique journalistic oversight role. Throughout the 13 years in which I served as public editor of one of Canada’s largest and oldest news organizations, the drumbeat of doom for this role loomed large within global journalism. [1] See ONO website for current membership: https://www.newsombudsmen.org/regular-members/
- This question has puzzled me for as long as I served as public editor. ONO mission matters to all journalism and to the public: “"Dedicated to protecting and enhancing quality journalism by encouraging respectful and truthful discourse about journalism’s practices and purposes.
- Journalism needs public editors now, perhaps more than ever in this digital era in which public skepticism about journalism’s credibility is a global issue. Given the well documented crisis of trust in journalism worldwide and questions about how the public judges trustworthy news and information in an era of dangerous disinformation, this is a time to consider – or reconsider – the role and the potential greater relevance of the independent public editor.
- Well-documented trust crisis in journalism. Ubiquitous charges of “fake news”. Dangerous disinformation. Journalism has never lived up to its social responsibility mission of providing accurate, fair and representative coverage of the diverse communities it seeks to serve. For many decades, media organizations, largely run by white men, have talked about the pressing need for representative newsrooms and coverage, but minimal action or accountability for those words.
- Journalism’s power- the right to report freely on and for the citizens of a democracy- demands journalistic responsibility. Journalism has long resisted being accountable. “Never explain, never apologize attitude. This traditional macho hallmark of journalism culture is journalistic hypocrisy that undermines trust in journalism. Why should news audiences trust journalists who say one thing and do another? Journalists see their primary function as holding politicians and public officials to account so why shouldn’t journalists be held to account too?
- Strong independence, supported from the top, baked into the job description and fiercely executed is core to putting news audiences at the heart of the role. Many of us fall short of ideal of total independence and robust public criticism, largely because news organizations have structured the role to keep those in this oversight role teetering on a tightrope between the news organization and the public. Those who take on these roles should be given the power to ensure that editors and all others throughout a news organization live up to their journalistic responsibilities.
- I served in role for 13 years. Toronto Star has longest commitment to role of any news organization in North America. Role created in 1972.
- I served in role for 13 years. Toronto Star has longest commitment to role of any news organization in North America. Role created in 1972.
- I served in role for 13 years. Toronto Star has longest commitment to role of any news organization in North America. Role created in 1972.
- The public editor role at the Toronto Star is independent of the newsroom, reporting to the publisher. It entails responsibility for holding the newsroom to account for its journalistic standards, adjudicating public complaints about the Star’s journalism, investigating claims of error brought forward by readers and news sources and publishing necessary corrections on all platforms. Over 13 years, I communicated with more than 150,000 readers.
- A radical statement to readers transparency and accountability A reason for a public editor Torstar Journalistic Standards Guide https://www.thestar.com/about/statementofprinciples.html
- The definition of trustworthy news used throughout Torstar. “Ethically produced” indicates aligned with Toronto Journalistic Standards Guide.
- Public Editors encourage and stand up for ethical responsible journalism. The work of public editors is aligned with practices of trustworthy journalism as defined by various journalism trust initiatives, including The Trust Project.
- The Trust Project is consortium of global newsrooms committed to accountability and accuracy indicators. Considerable overlap between its “Trust Indicators” and the work public editors do in upholding accuracy and verification standards, correcting errors, holding newsroom journalists to account for ethics policies, and explaining journalism to news audiences. New initiatives to provide evidence of trustworthy journalism in large part, the work that small corps of public editors and news ombudsmen scattered around the world have been doing for decades, even as our relevance within journalism never fully appreciated.
- In preparing for this project, I circulated a questionnaire to the ONO global membership to determine wider perspectives on the role and greater understanding of the responsibilities of those doing the job. Survey went to 65 ONO members in March 2020. I received 26 responses – 19 from those in the role and seven who had served previously. Respondents represented current and past public editors, ombudsmen and readers’ editors in North America, South America, Europe (largely north-Western Europe) Australia, and East and South Asia. They work in broadcast or newspaper organizations with strong digital news operations, including The Guardian, The BBC, NPR, The Associated Press, the New York Times, The Hindu, Canada’s CBC and the Globe and Mail, Denmark’s TV2 and Australia’s ABC.
- The vast majority of respondents regard their role as essential in ensuring and communicating the elements of trustworthy journalism. That same number also regard their role as critical in ensuring the transparency and accountability of their news organization to news audiences
- I also asked about the role public editors play in ensuring diversity in content and staffing. One cannot serve in the role of public editor today without engaging with many publics on all of the issues of identity central to the news and society: race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, class, ability…
- The Trust Project makes the vital link between diversity and trustworthy journalism. The Trust Project began by asking groups of diverse people what they value in news, what makes them trust news and deem it essential to their lives. These respondents made clear they want to hear more from people outside traditional power structures. Trust Project founder Sally Lehrman: “One of the reasons we have sometimes downplayed the importance of diverse voices in news is that we are not listening, and we too often don’t have people of colour in the room. When I started telling news executives about our user research many were surprised by the desire for diverse voices.”
- The National Advisory Commision on Civil disorders, known as the Kerner Commission, criticized the media for contributing to racial misunderstanding in America through biased, unfair coverage.
- Robert Maynard, the Washington Post’s third ombudsman, who went on to become an important leader in latter 20th -century America’s “press desegregation movement” [1]called repeatedly for more inclusive journalism to bridge the chasm between Black and white America. While serving as ombudsman, Maynard spoke out about the importance of a representative press in fulfilling democracy’s ideals. Today, Maynard’s work continues through the Maynard Institute, founded to lead the fight against systemic racism in newsrooms. Its clarion call comes from a speech Maynard made to the 1978 gathering of the American Society of Newspaper Editors: “Newsrooms have a responsibility to cure the legacy of racism.” In 2020, Maynard Institute launched Vision25 Building Racial Equity in Newsrooms, a collaborative initiative that seeks to build “actively anti-racist” newsrooms and advance racial equity in journalism. Central to this goal are the values core to the work of public editors: accountability and transparency: “It’s critical to both journalists and the public that we not only share our commitment to diversity, but how we are measuring it,” the Vision25 announcement states in calling for the journalism industry to commit to public pledges of accountability and transparency to racial equity [1] In a 1978 speech to the news industry. Robert Maynard stated, “We will not let you off the hook. We must desegregate this business.” Maynard Institute, Mission and History. https://mije.org/about-us/mission-and-history.html
- Accountability is essential to achieving diversity in news staffing and coverage. Both matter.
- Newsroom representation is critical to accurate and fair representation in news coverage. For example, direct connection between the small numbers of Indigenous journalists working in Canadian newsrooms and longstanding failures of Canadian journalism in covering Indigenous issues.
- Some literature links failure to diversify to failure to regard diversity as a core principle of ethical journalism. Thesis of a 2015 Journalism Practice article [1]that examines why only “superficial staff and story-perspective diversification” has taken place over many decades. It provides convincing evidence that news organizations and individual journalists have not regarded diversity and inclusion as a must-do aligned with trustworthy journalism’s values of accuracy, fairness and public accountability. We all, collectively, must bear responsibility for this failure. As it states, “a clear majority of journalists did not view diversity as ethically imperative and did not believe it represented a salient aspect of their own work or personal responsibility.” It suggests that even well-regarded industry ethics codes and standards of practice that refer to diversity do so largely as superficial lip-service. [1] Bodinger-deUriate, C. and Valgeirsson, G. (2015). Institutional disconnects as obstacles to diversity in journalism in the United States, pp 399-417, Journalism Practice,
- The authors conclude that the journalism industry must identify core reasons to diversify – how diversity is related to journalistic mission and what are the specific diversity expectations for the work journalists produce. It must come to terms with how diversity “dovetails with, and reinforces, established professional values and ethical principles.”
- The purpose of journalism in a democracy should be aligned with Universal Human Rights.
- Just as journalism has failed in being diverse and inclusive over the past 50 years, so too, we have seen, has the role of public editor failed to take hold in global journalism over those same five decades.
- Is there a solution that responds to these failures?
- Would the public editor role be more relevant to journalism and the “multiple diverse publics.”[1] we seek to serve if it could evolve to encompass significant accountability for diversity and inclusion imperatives? This has not been core to role in past. As today’s journalists now navigate a long overdue reckoning for racial equality and realignment of the largely white patriarchal structures that continue to dominate and define global media, can our can our “journalistic imagination”[2] envision a greater role for a public editor in holding journalism to account for news and information aligned with universal human rights? [1] Callison, C. and Young. M.L. (2020) Reckoning Journalism’s Limits and Possibilities, p4. Oxford University Press. 2] Ryfe, D. (2016) Journalism and the Public, Polity Press. Chapter 4. Ryfe tells us that “normative ideals”of what journalism “should be” can be infused with the “journalistic imagination”of what journalism could be: ”What is it we can imagine journalism doing while still remaining within the realm of journalism?” he asks, inspiring my exploration of what is it we can imagine a public editor doing, while still remaining within the realm of this accountability and oversight role.
- This should be core to the work of public editors. If journalism – and those given power to hold journalism to account -- do not stand up for “equal dignity for all” and speak out against that which diminishes the human rights of a liberal democracy then what is the use to the public of journalism or its public editors?
- A strong, independent and proactive publics’ editor would question the status quo of journalism and the professional standards that have failed to regard diversity as a core journalistic value. As agents of public accountability, publics’ editors should criticize news coverage that perpetuates inequality and examine reasons - both on a daily and systemic basis - why this is so. They should stand for accurate and fair coverage of marginalized, underrepresented individuals and groups. They should encourage news and information that reveals racial disparities in their communities. They should work to create public understanding of why diversity and inclusion in news matters. They could hold newsrooms to account for staff diversity data and share this information with news audiences through ongoing public reports, similar to the accountability work auditor-generals do in holding governments to account.
- Hire a public editor.Encourage your newsroom to be accountable to its publics, and transparent about its journalism. In this current and concerning crisis of trust in journalism, this necessary reckoning for journalistic equality, this could be an investment as valuable as another beat reporter. Addendum: A job description for a publics’ editor Immediate job opening: Publics’ Editor Reporting to the CEO, we are seeking an experienced journalist to serve as our publics’ editor. This role is entirely independent of the newsroom with a mandate to represent the interests of our publics’ and the publics’ good. The primary objective is to ensure the accountability and transparency of this news organisation through ongoing public reporting on our journalism and its impact on the multiple, diverse communities we seek to serve. In this position, you will serve as chief ethics officer. You will have proactive oversight responsibility for accuracy, fairness and the ethical professional standards of trustworthy journalism, including our commitment to diverse and inclusive journalism of equality. You will respond to and adjudicate public concerns and complaints, and initiate investigations of systemic issues that could undermine our ethics and excellence. You will hold us to account publicly for our inevitable errors and work with us internally to investigate systemic issues that undermine our highest standards, seeking solutions that result in responsible, inclusive journalism that serves democracy and all of its citizens. We are seeking an individual with a strong journalistic ethical compass and deep understanding of anti-racist journalism and its moral mission to represent and reflect equal dignity for all. This is a five-year, limited term contract: done right, you may well burn bridges within this news organisation as you build bridges with our publics. This is a high-stress position, oft-referred to as the loneliest job in journalism. It is also one of journalism's most interesting and relevant roles in which you can make a difference.
- I would love to discuss these ideas with you!