What role do journalists play in the so called “post fact”era? It’s no secret that President Trump and his administration have a contentious relationship with the mainstream media. The president routinely calls outlets like CNN and the New York Times “fake news.” Senior Advisor, Kellyanne Conway, famously invoked the validity of “alternative facts” when pressed about inaccurate statements made by the President about the size of the crowd at this year’s inauguration. Another senior advisor, Steven Bannon, called the media “the opposition party,” and urged it to keep its mouth shut.
So, are we in a “post-fact” era, as some have suggested? Does journalistic objectivity and neutrality mean something different with this President, in this highly segmented media landscape? And how are the notions of objectivity and impartiality being shaped by a more diverse journalism pool?In an age where many people choose to get their news from places that validate their particular point of view, how does one tell the “objective truth?” Late last month, freelance journalist Lewis Wallace tackled these questions in a Medium piece called “Objectivity is dead, and I’m okay with it.” Publishing the post set off a chain of events that led to Wallace being fired from his job as a reporter for American Public Media’s Marketplace. But, it also put a spotlight on a conversation newsrooms across the country are having about the particular challenges of covering a President who continues to attempt to discredit the press, consistently pitting himself and his supporters against the media
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