Protecting Democracy - Part 3

For many, the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021 proved to be a flashpoint for journalism. If the media didn’t get its act together, then democracy, itself, could be imperiled. In a column, published last December, Mother Jones CEO Monika Bauerlein wrote “2022 offers a chance to get our act together and cover democracy like it matters. Before we run out of time.” Among her strategies, cover the war on democracy every day; create a structure that ensure coverage (i.e. make democracy a beat); call things what they are; and note the coordinated assault on democracy in all of its forms: disinformation, extremism, exhortations to violence, gerrymandering and voter suppression. Yet, there’s a challenge: resources. Many newsrooms have fewer staffers who have to cover more things, making it difficult to focus on “democracy” alone. And given the expanse of the danger, is it realistic to think one reporter could do a job that might take an entire newsroom. What does that protection look like? That’s the focus of this episode of Chapter 3; Protecting Democracy. We’re joined by two local media executives who can give us perspective on how local media might, can and should protect democracy: Wendi C. Thomas, Editor and Publisher of MLK50, and Mark Russell, Executive Editor of The Commercial Appeal.