Inside the Upheaval of Journalism

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019032815

DOI 10.3726/b16118

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© 2020 Ted Gest and Dotty Brown

Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York

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Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,

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About the author

Ted Gest has covered criminal justice over a half-century for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, U.S. News & World Report, and The Crime Report, where he is Washington correspondent. He is president of Criminal Justice Journalists and former Chairman of the Council of National Journalism Organizations. He is author of Crime & Politics (2001).

Dotty Brown oversaw numerous prize-winning stories during her career at the Philadelphia Inquirer, including a Pulitzer Prize. She served as Science and Medical Editor, Education Editor, and Editor for Multimedia and Projects. She was named Knight Ridder Journalist of the Year. She is author of Boathouse Row, Waves of Change in the Birthplace of American Rowing (2016).

About the book

In the spring of 1969, 101 students received master’s degrees from Columbia University’s prestigious School of Journalism, where they had learned the trade as it was then practiced. Most hoped to start a career in newspapers, radio, television or magazines, the established forms of journalism of that era. Little did they realize how the news world they were entering would be upended by the internet and by the social forces that would sweep through the country over the next 50 years.

This book tells the story of the news media revolution through the eyes of those in the Class of 1969 who lived it and helped make it happen. It is an insider’s look at the reshaping of the Fourth Estate and the information Americans now get and don’t get—crucial aspects of the vibrancy of democracy.

“This book by veteran journalists is the best analysis I’ve seen of the precarious state of American journalism and the danger that alone poses to our democracy.”—Bob Schieffer, CBS News

“The book’s seasoned journalists…confront the challenges veterans and newcomers face as technology changes the reporting dynamic ever faster, but not always with good results.” —Charlayne Hunter-Gault, award-winning journalist and author

“This is an inspired examination of what’s happened to American journalism over the past 50 years, artfully told by people who lived it, who helped shape the best of it, and who warn us of the perils of the present day.”—David Boardman, Dean, Klein College of Media and Communication, Temple University

“Together, the authors show how the core values of Columbia Journalism School shape diverse careers and strengthen our profession.”—Steve Coll, Dean, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University

“This book is a powerful reminder that journalism is a noble calling fi lled with honest professionals dedicated to fairly and accurately pursuing the truth and informing the public…”—Michael Isikoff, Yahoo News

This eBook can be cited

This edition of the eBook can be cited. To enable this we have marked the start and end of a page. In cases where a word straddles a page break, the marker is placed inside the word at exactly the same position as in the physical book. This means that occasionally a word might be bifurcated by this marker.

List of Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter Authors

Chapter One—Fifty Years of Journalism: A Sweep of Change

Martin Gottlieb and Susan Spencer

Chapter Two—Technology: The Revolution of Our Time

Kenneth Tiven

Chapter Three—Women: Forging Towards Recognition

Dotty Brown

Chapter Four—Diversity: A Work in Progress

Marquita Pool-Eckert

Chapter Five—Politics: Reporting in the Age of Distrust

Alan Ehrenhalt

Chapter Six—International Reporting: A World of Difference

Michèle Montas-Dominique

Chapter Seven—Criminal Justice: The Journey from “Give Me Rewrite!”

Ted Gest

Chapter Eight— Medicine: From Gee-Whiz to Hard-Edged

Richard Knox

Chapter Nine—Business: How Big Media Missed Small and Personal

David E. Gumpert

Chapter Ten—Covering the God Beat in a Time of Change

Tammy Tanaka

Chapter Eleven—Book Publishing: Authors on the Front Line

Carla Fine

Chapter Twelve—J-Schools: In the Wake of New Media

Tom Goldstein

Postscript: An Informed News Consumer’s View

Allan Mann

Index

Illustrations

Figure 0.1: J-School Class of 1969, courtesy of the Columbia University School of Journalism

Figure 1.1: Martin Gottlieb, courtesy of Martin Gottlieb

Figure 1.2: Susan Spencer with Pope John Paul II, photo © Vatican Media

Figure 2.1: Kenneth Tiven, courtesy of Kenneth Tiven