Category: Democracy
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Without reporters covering city hall, school board, planning commission meetings, democracy at local level threatened by an uninformed citizenry
When I watch TV coverage of a news conference at the White House, I’m reminded of how reporting resources are disproportionately allocated in today’s news environment. The dozens of journalists at the White House are essentially giving us the same story, while many city council and school board meetings across America are not being covered…
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Fresno State’s Media, Communications and Journalism Dept. issues statement supporting journalists, condemning Jan. 6 attack on our democracy
This statement was issued on Tuesday by the faculty of the Media, Communications and Journalism Department at Fresno State: The Department of Media, Communications and Journalism (MCJ) strongly condemns the January 6 mob violence at our nation’s Capitol aimed at blocking the Constitutional duties of our elected representatives. As a department that teaches ethical truth-telling…
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As newspapers shrink, other media outlets must spend more time doing watchdog reporting in their communities
UPDATED It’s a bad thing for our democracy when local newspapers must continually cut reporters to stay afloat financially. Those reporters too often were crucial government watchdogs, informing the community about the workings of city hall, school districts and other government agencies. While other local news outlets have stepped up their game to fill the…
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Fresno State students recognized by Free Speech Center for their project on the First Amendment
Our First Amendment project has been recognized by the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University for a campaign to educate Fresno State students on the five freedoms contained in the First Amendment. The Free Speech Center at MTSU praised the 60 public relations students in the Media, Communications and Journalism Department at Fresno State…
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Democracy and taxpayers suffer when there are fewer local journalists serving as government watchdogs
We’re seeing more journalists being laid off in the news industry, and just about everyone thinks they know why the business model is so broken. But like most issues, the causes are varied and complex, ranging from an industry unwillingness to recognize changing revenue trends, being behind the curve on technology, and thinking that you…
Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State 