Month: February 2012

Is “democratic media” a quaint memory? Let’s talk

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When I asked my colleagues what the topic should be for the ethics center’s conference in April, I received an unambiguous reply: media and electoral politics.

The feeling was unambiguous not only because we are in the middle of a presidential campaign. There was another reason. Many citizens are concerned that the idea of fair and free elections, built upon tough but informative campaigns, and analyzed by fair-minded journalists, was not just an idea under pressure. It was an idea in jeopardy.

Conference registration is now closed. Check back for the live stream of “Ethics & Elections: Media, Money and Power in 2012”

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In an age of partisan journalism and ‘combat’ politics, is the idea of media helping citizens make informed electoral choices a quaint but outdated notion? Is the ideal of democratic journalism – a journalism that promotes deliberative democracy through accurate reporting and informed analysis — just a reassuring myth?

The fourth journalism ethics conference, to be staged by the Center for Journalism Ethics (CJE) at the beautiful, new Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, examines political campaigning and electoral reporting today, and considers its impact on democracy.