Democracy Without Journalism? Confronting the Misinformation Society

FEATURING VICTOR PICKARD – There was a time when American journalism was considered the envy of the world. With a constitutionally guaranteed “freedom of the press,” journalism flourished and by and large, journalists showed a healthy skepticism of power and elites showed the press a modicum of respect.

Today, as the term “fake news” is both a real phenomenon, and a weapon in the service of propagandists, it is harder for the public to tell what is truth and what is not. Journalism is essential to a democracy – can there be democracy without journalism?

Victor Pickard, Associate Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and co-Director of Media, Inequality & Change Center. He has written widely about media, the news, communication, and democracy. His new book is Democracy Without Journalism? Confronting the Misinformation Society.