SEWANEE, Tenn. -- Public television newsman Jim Lehrer on Tuesday told journalists to buck up, saying bloggers and pundits never will replace serious, fair news reporting.
"(Journalists) are in a revolution ... and you can hear the screams for help, but I say calm down," said Mr. Lehrer, who spoke to a crowd of more than 1,000 during a speech at Sewanee: The University the South. "Whatever the route it may travel to the blogger, the commentator or the (Internet) search engine, (news) has to start with one of us. One of us boring reporters."
Mr. Lehrer, executive editor and anchor of PBS's award-winning nightly news program "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" received an Emmy Award in 1973 for his coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings. He also has moderated several nationally televised political debates and written more than 20 books.
His speech was the highlight of Sewanee's Founders' Day convocation, during which students with high academic achievements are honored.
Wil Heflin, a senior psychology major at Sewanee who attended the convocation, said he was excited to see Mr. Lehrer on campus, especially since he invoked the Sewanee football chant -- "Tigers, tigers, leave 'em in the lurch, down with the heathens, up with the church" -- during his remarks.
"People think of journalists as dry, but he was funny," said Mr. Heflin.
He said he's glad to know there are journalists like Mr. Lehrer who are more interested in informing people than stirring the pot.
"He emphasized not getting bogged down in what the commentators and pundits say, 'cause the world isn't so polarized," said Mr. Heflin. "There are people who enjoy rational discourse."
Mr. Lehrer said many reporters and editors working at newspapers, magazines or on television news programs are embattled by shrinking profit margins and severe cutbacks. At the same time, cable news opinion programs and comedic news shows are seeing their ratings soar, he said.
Still, everyday journalists working to dig up stories and report them fairly are the backbone of every blog post and one-liner about current events, he said.
"In the beginning is the news," he said. "No one is going to laugh about what they don't already know."
As the world continues to change with the invention of new technologies, journalists should evolve and learn to communicate on different platforms, Mr. Lehrer said. But reporters can't give in to pressure to use flashy gimmicks or shift their focus to entertainment, he said.
"I don't want to be confused with the clowns," he said. "The first story should be professional and politically straight. ... We, the boring ones of regular journalism, must keep our eye on the ball."
Joan Garrett McClane has been a staff writer for the Times Free Press since August 2007. Before becoming a general assignment writer for the paper, she wrote about business, higher education and the court systems. She grew up the oldest of five sisters near Birmingham, Ala., and graduated with a master's and bachelor's degrees in journalism from the University of Alabama. Before landing her first full-time job as a reporter at the Times Free Press, ...
I beg to differ jerk. The TFP is so watered down, it missess the news. The best local news is not from the TFP. Love ya for classifed.
Dear, dear Mr. Lehrer. He said so little and omitted so much. That naive young student who commented needs to take a basic History of Journalism 101 course to really understand what real Journalism is (or was, I should say).
Notwithstanding Lehrer's long career, he is a true, PBS Liberal-in-denial hack. Where are the real journalists now? Wetting their pants when Obama walks into a room? Just what real, unbiased, non-agenda "News" is being written and debated (other than the local news-and that can be questionable too)? It sure ain't on PBS or CNN or MSNBC, CBS et al.
Most people I know do not watch or read 'alternative' news sites for "entertainment". We want journalists, reporters and commentators who actually do their research and elucidate BOTH or ALL sides of a story, not the side the AP or the White House Administration has dictated to them. Then we can make up our own minds based on evidence, real life experience, etc.
Real journalism is about unpleasant facts, digging into things and disturbing people and institutions, etc. to get at the Truth. It's about messy, real life nosing around and more importantly it's about the everlasting principles of integrity, objectivity and freedom of speech. Quite often, "rational discourse" is a subterfuge rather than an enlightening day at the park.
The latest, greatest example of real journalistic probing and reporting was the story (and videos) from two young people who had the guts to do what the PC MSM couldn't and wouldn't do, take down that corrupt, slimy Org-ACORN. Where was our 'enlightened' Media? In the pockets of the WH, that's where.
Right on canaryinthecoalmine. I bet that Jesus would've destroyed all these dirty ol' liberals. That student must hate freedom and suckle from the teat of communism. Rational discourse sounds more like "give them socialists more money."
i sure do like your ability there to hit the hard issues. ACORN is probably responsible for why america is in the state it is now. In fact, I recently read that ACORN put Cromwell in power, caused the Holocaust, started the Chicago fire, ate all the potatoes in Ireland, killed the dinosaurs, created both Sodom AND Gomorrah, assassinated Lincoln, and crashed the Hindenburg.
THEY MUST BE STOPPED! And it's the wise men like you and I, canaryinthecoalmine, who will stop 'em. I'll see you at Glen Beck book signing.
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