To protect journalism, we must call out those who seek to undermine it, the Executive Director of the Society of Editors has urged. 

Writing for Behind Local News as part of #JournalismMatters week, Ian Murray said that while the news industry is under attack, #JournalismMatters week is an opportunity to help people understand the value local journalism brings to their lives.

Despite today’s public being better informed and better served by its media, Murray warned, journalism and journalists continue to find themselves in constant need of defending their actions and “at odds with politicians and those in positions of power” who undermine their credibility he added.   

One solution would be to “expose and challenge” those who do the media harm, Murray suggested.  

He added: “For every claim of ‘fake news’ there should be the remedy of the provision of well-researched facts. Hammer home the validity of our news gathering methods to expose the simple truth that the misinformation comes from those seeking to undermine the messenger.

“The second step should be to remind our readers wherever plausible of the dire alternatives that would exist in a world where true journalism had left the field. This is even more vital as an increasing number of bodies, public and private, attempt to convince us that any and all information we need can be found online without any need for journalists.”

The full article can be found here.