Facts and Opinions in One Box: How We Lost Our Common Ground with Dr. Aimee Edmondson

When did we stop trusting the news? Was there ever really a golden age — or have we been romanticizing something that was always more complicated?Dr. Aimee Edmondson, Associate Dean of the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University, spent a dozen years in newsrooms before dedicating her career to studying how the powerful have tried to silence the press. In this episode, Aimee takes us on a journey from the partisan press of the 1790s through the Fairness Doctrine, the rise of cable news, and into the algorithmic present — revealing that the crisis we're living through has deeper roots than most of us realize. We talk about what we've lost (shared sources of truth), what's at stake (corporate pressure on editorial independence), and what gives her hope (a generation of young journalists she calls "truth tellers").If you've ever wondered how we went from Walter Cronkite as "the most trusted man in America" to "fake news" as a rallying cry, this is the episode.In this episode, we discuss:The partisan press of the 1790s and why today's media fracture isn't as new as it feelsThe Fairness Doctrine — what it was and what happened when it disappearedThe rise of talk radio, cable news, and the algorithmic echo chamberWhat Marty Baron told a ballroom full of reporters seeking answersThe one thing you can do this week to become a better consumer of informationResources mentioned in this episode:In Sullivan's Shadow: The Use and Abuse of Libel Law During the Long Civil Rights Struggle by Aimee Edmondson — University of Massachusetts PressThe Social Dilemma (2020 documentary) — available on NetflixNational Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) — namle.netInvestigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) — ire.orgAbout Dr. Aimee Edmondson:Dr. Aimee Edmondson is a professor of media law and journalism history and Associate Dean of the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University. Her research focuses on civil-rights-related libel law, First Amendment issues, and free expression. She is the author of In Sullivan's Shadow and the creator of Ohio University's Media and Civil Rights course, which includes a 10-day bus trip through civil rights sites in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Your analog assignment this week: Hang out with someone who doesn't think like you. Not online. In person. Listen more than you talk.