New Year’s Resolutions

BY MICHAEL S. JOHNSON | DEC 30 2016

The American media did not have a good year. Their favorability ratings remained in the cellar, on a par with politicians and Congress. Not so good, and, worse yet, they may have actually contributed to the election of their evil nemesis, Donald Trump.

Well, there’s nothing like reflection and reconciliation to make things better.

That may have been the spirit that prompted columnist Jennifer Rubin to offer her media colleagues resolutions to ponder over champagne and caviar this New Year’s Eve (media did not have a bad year financially; they made a bundle on their campaign coverage).

Rubin’s resolutions were 10 in number, but only seven really applied to the media. The other three were directed at consumers of media content, those who lack refinement in the delicacies of a media diet. There were some good suggestions among them. For example (paraphrasing and shortening):

  1. Do not assume ill intent of public officials or other individuals working in large organizations.
  2. Do not confuse causation with correlation.
  3. Ban the “But Clinton did…” (tit-for-tat arguments).
  4. Be clear about what is journalism and what is not.
  5. Resist the urge to predict. Instead focus on explaining.
  6. Cable TV shows and their anchors need to set some boundaries on the extent of their promotion of one candidate, or one cause, over another.
  7. TV cable news producers need to be held responsible for their choices. CNN, she reminded us, provided uncritical coverage of Trump rallies, giving him a huge edge in the primaries.

Why stop there? Resolutions are like campaign promises. Easily made and more easily jettisoned. More is better. Here are a few others for their consideration. We resolve to:

  1. Expand the demographic, political, and ideological diversity of America’s newsrooms.
  2. Set much stricter standards on the use of anonymous sources.
  3. Ban all commentary from news stories. Restrict columnists to the editorial page.
  4. Discourage journalists from interviewing other reporters and commentators, unless it is someone of intellectual capacity, such as David Brooks, or veterans with perspective and historical context prior to 2010, such as Bob Schieffer.
  5. Initiate more and expansive disclosures of and transparency around potential conflicts of interest or bias by professional journalists and their employers, as well as any potential undue influence on journalistic decision-making. Hold journalists to the standards to which they hold others, especially politicians and lobbyists. Media created the notion of “the appearance of impropriety.” It ought to be applied by them to them.
  6. Create universal public standards of ethical conduct and a mechanism for enforcement, independent of the profession.
  7. Move media out of New York and Washington. Sioux Falls is nice. Real people live there.
  8. Untangle the conflict-ridden relationship between pollsters and journalists.
  9. Quit entertaining and aggravating the public and educate them instead; make a profit, but put journalistic integrity higher on the priority list.
  10. Create an independent commission to review journalistic practices, particularly those related to the conduct of the 2016 campaign.
  11. Create an industry-wide website devoted to the education of consumers about news versus infotainment content.
  12. Strengthen research, producing and editing practices to ensure accuracy, objectivity, balance, and context.
  13. Do more news reporting and less story telling.

Here are a couple of resolutions recommended for the next President of the United States:

  1. Don’t lie
  2. Don’t even think about lying or creating excuses for lying.
  3. Don’t disparage others, not even dogs. Some rodents are okay.
  4. Don’t tweet.

Here is a resolution for the soon-to-be former President:

  1. Adhere to the precedent set by other former Presidents, particularly your immediate predecessor, to resist the compulsion to criticize the sitting President publicly, especially when abroad.

Here are a few for individuals:

  1. Be kind
  2. Be calm
  3. Be smart
  4. Be humble
  5. Don’t lie

Editor’s Note: Mike Johnson is a former journalist, who worked on the Ford White House staff and served as press secretary and chief of staff to House Republican Leader Bob Michel, prior to entering the private sector. He is co-author of a book, Surviving Congress, a guide for congressional staff. He is currently a principal with the OB-C Group.