Thursday, January 14, 2010
Assignment 1. Walter Lippman Quote
After a first reading of Walter Lippman’s quote, I am grabbed by his choice of words in the final sentence, specifically his describing the task journalists face as priestly. I do not intend to be overly cynical of the catholic church and some of the scandals of late, however upon the mention of journalists as priests, I could not help but draw a couple of parallels between the two. In 1920, when Liberty and the News was published, both journalists and priests found themselves on relatively secure platforms, that is what was reported or dictated by both was generally believed and not heavily scrutinized. Priests delivered the words of the Lord and it was assumed that someone of this stature was wholly good and free of error. Journalists were for the most part the only source of news, as many of the mediums we rely on today did not exist, and for this reason they were heavily trusted and and their work did not endure the extensive questioning that it does today. The part that I find ironic, which would not have occurred to Lippman as he penned the quote in 1920, is that in choosing the word “priestly” to describe journalists in an effort to describe the mighty and revered task they are presented with, he linked two professions which have since suffered numerous scandals and find themselves under the most watchful of eyes from society at large. While I may be exaggerating the public opinion of priests a bit, there can be no doubt that some people do not view priests in the same way they had prior to any of the abuse scandals. There are also with out a doubt, people who are more than skeptical of journalists following the cases of Stephen Glass, Jayson Blair and the like. Though I am fairly sure that Lippman did not have these scandals in mind when he chose to use the word priestly, I find his choice a bit humorous and quite fitting as I observe the evolution and public opinion of each profession.
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Good post.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it is not accidental that both of these institutions have suffered of late in our culture, for the authority of each has been compromised by the same force: the broadening of available information. In part, this is one of the reasons I want you and your classmates to consider the changes to journalism as part of a larger social revolution. Our society is changing, and the manifestations of that change are occurring in many different industries and segments of our society.
Good post, though I think you should include more of your personal voice (we'll talk about that Tuesday). Also, Catholic is capitalized when it refers to the proper noun.
Keep at it.
I agree with you that it is ironic the two seemingly steadfast professions have declined in both reputation and valor in the last several decades.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how you directly compared the fall from prestige of the role of the priest to the fall of the respected journalist due to scandals in their respective industries.
However, I do think it is important to note the importance in society that both positions once held. As society changed so did the prestige and the trust attributed to each.
It seems to me that priests and journalists face the same challenge in the new changing social landscape: how to gain back the respect that a few incidents have so drastically caused them to lose.
The ironic similarities in the devolution of these two professions did not immediately dawn on me. It is humorous that Lippman would choose to compare these offices without the foresight to predict their oncoming hardships.
ReplyDeleteCertainly both professions have tarnished their own reputations recently, but I take solace in the fact that the profession we are currently entering isn't synonymous with child molestation.
All scandals aside, good post. I suppose your analysis could have been less reliant on the negative stereotypes of each industry, but it was interesting to think about how these stereotypes link together.
Cheers,
-Tyson