The News About The News: American Journalism in Peril
Leonard Downie Jr. and Robert G. Kaiser

review by: Chelan David
Date: 8/15/03

The News About the News opens with a brief summary detailing the Washington Post’s coverage of the Watergate scandal. This introduction illustrates the power of free press and how good journalism can enrich Americans’ lives in many ways: by acting as a watchdog for local, national and global issues, by arming citizens with relevant information and by making cooperation possible by informing citizens about the world around them.

This book provides some fascinating case histories about news stories that made a difference as well as news stories that could have made a difference. One interesting example is the Iran-Contra affair which only came to light after a plane crash. While the whole truth never did come out, if not for the crash it is possible that this event would never have been reported on. The authors point to the Iran-Contra affair as an example of what can happen when the watchdog fails to bark.

Unfortunately, Leonard Downie Jr. and Robert G. Kaiser, the book’s co-authors as well as editors of the Washington Post, have witnessed a drastic decline in strong journalism over the past several decades.

Both authors hoped that the silver lining in the 9/11 tragedy would be a shift from sensational news coverage back to serious journalism. Immediately after the attacks, scandalous stories such as the Gary Condit-Chandra Levy case were shelved and Americans looked for news that truly affected them. For the most part news organizations rose to the challenge, providing compelling coverage.

It took only a few months, however, for news providers to return to less serious coverage. Last summer a few sensational cases of child abductions dominated news coverage even though, statistically, abductions of children had actually decreased. This summer the Laci Peterson story has taken centerstage.

Chief among the author’s complaints are the cost-cutting tactics media conglomerates have enforced as they pander to Wall Street while losing focus on the services they are supposed to be providing. While media companies attempt to eke out profits by squeezing staff and reducing national and foreign coverage, their products have grown steadily worse. As corporations continue to acquire media properties the majority of local news will be controlled by executives with no local ties to the community.

The typical consumer of news will recognize many of the changes that have occurred in the news industry as they scramble for increased profits: Celebrity gossip masquerading as news, television stations attempting to drive up ratings by promoting network programs on their newscasts, corporate conglomerates devouring media entities and attempting to cross-promote their new brands through news outlets.

While The News About the News contains some riveting interviews, case histories and persuasive arguments in regard to the quality of news slipping, it does have some shortcomings.

Downie and Kaiser are the executive editor and associate editor, respectively, for the Washington Post and when referring to quality newspapers they inevitably give examples of their own paper as well as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. While these are certainly some of the most well-respected news organizations in the country, one or two references would have been enough – especially considering Jayson Blair’s plagiarizing incidents, which have surfaced with the New York Times since this book was published.

While the Washington Post is a fine paper steeped in tradition, the editors should have been more careful with the facts and punctuation in their own book. For example, the Microsoft corporate campus is described as being "northwest of Seattle" rather than northeast of Seattle.

One thing is clear however; the demands for profitability by huge multi-national corporations will continue to shape the news around us. Whether this will be for better or worse remains to be seen.