Comments soekershof has made

Beyond the Line

Being a journalist in my previous life (google to Soekershof and find out that I'm in the environmental related tourism business nowadays) I know how difficult it is to make an objective story about 'hot' issues. Do I have all the right facts? How to judge these facts in the right context? There is always a conflict of interests. In case of conflicting parties (f.e. activists versus chemical industry) who is telling the full truth and who provides desinformation packed in a truth? I like reading stories of Michael Grunwald for I can read, between the lines, that he can be quite persistent and critical. But he is one of the few with space to go in the deep. Most of the journalists however are swept up in a ratrace and don't get the time to get the facts in order. This besides the fact that some publishers/managing editors judge a story on 'what their readers want to read'. Journalists are in these cases the commercial (pr) tool of their employers. Independent - impartial - journalism is difficult nowadays (one of the reasons I quit the job 6 yrs ago); just look to the difference in 'critical' reporting about the war in Iraq between American and European media.
Ross Gelbspan is right in the sense that specialist PR people are nowadays making the headlines but only to rely on what mayor scientists are saying is also dangerous. For who are they working and where are they getting their additional income? Are they telling a truth packed in desinformation and to what degree can they afford to do so (they also have their critical opponents in their world and where are their commitments?)? Example: most of the forestanding scientists in the medical world have a relation with a pharmaceutical industry ....... The same applies more or less with scientists who deal, in one or another way, with environmental issues. This makes independent, impartial, environmental journalism even more difficult.
I might sound old fashioned but your own intuition is the best guide and always report 'on the spot' instead from behind the PC and telephone. Not very cost effective but for me it has always been the way to get a story right.

 On Top environment reporters talk about journalism vs. activism posted 3 years, 3 months ago 6 Responses