Marty Kaiser Lecture

I went to see Marty Kaiser speak about journalism ethics a few days ago. Here is my review of his speech, given through the Oweida Lecture series here at Penn State,

“Immediately the first thing that stood out to me about Marty Kaiser’s speech (and what I repeated to a student who interviewed me for her reporting class) was that he was refreshingly optimistic at the very beginning.

It is very common to hear about the death of our industry, the doom-and-gloom outlook, the rise of the blogosphere which will consume us all, and deteriorating ethics. In fact, because of this usual cautionary tone, I was expecting a lecture titled “Journalism 2010 and Beyond” to be depressing, finger-wagging, and for aspiring journalists, yes even frightening.

But it wasn’t. As he should have been, Mr. Kaiser was realistic about where he felt the industry stood. He didn’t stand on his pulpit and only praise the current direction and standing of journalism. But he certainly didn’t trash those either.

He gave a number of very uplifting examples of reader appreciation for his newspaper. I was excited to hear that some people out there are still getting their news from ethical, responsible outlets, rather than from E!

I think my favorite quote from Kaiser’s speech was, “The best journalists will always be, first and foremost, storytellers. Sharing stories that reveal new information that shine a light where there was once darkness. What we must do is invest in people with integrity, character, talent, and yes, in that order, who can pursue the kind of journalism that strengthens our communities.”

First, Mr. Kaiser emphasizes the priority that should be placed on integrity and character over talent. Solid news and sports journalism ethics aren’t built on talent in the least. To survive as the field we claim to be, without devolving into entertainment or commentary, we must continue to cultivate a culture of integrity in journalism. I thought Mr. Kaiser was spot on here.

Kaiser made an important distinction between reporting and commentary, one that I think the general public may not be fully aware of. He said, “Reporting employs verification and fairness, and an ethical framework all focused on seeking the truth. The screaming of commentator’s opinions and the blather about balanced news coverage has little to do with seeking the truth. Reporting comes from working sources, asking questions, and trying to learn more. It isn’t pontificating on talk shows or blogs…”

Kaiser emphasizes the role that journalists must play within the local community. He told stories of how his newsroom’s reporting has sought out stories that can inform readers and impact the community in a positive way. He outlined the power of journalism when working correctly. Commentary can do no such thing.

When Mr. Kaiser took questions, I asked him where he felt the current state of sports journalism was, as compared to news, because I felt that was an area he did not address, and it is one that I have a personal interest in (with my thesis). He responded that he feels sports ethics in journalism have been improving since he started, and a big impetus has been more sports business stories that have brought sports closer into the activities of news journalists.

I felt this was an interesting perspective, and honestly, one that I hadn’t given fair consideration to previously.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Marty Kaiser’s Oweida lecture. He did a great job of illustrating the important role that journalists play in society, the importance of ethics to that role, and the bright future we have ahead.”