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Five alumni journalists reflect on the state of their
profession
by Doug Stone
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 ew
York Times reporter Jayson Blair causes a scandal by fabricating
quotes and descriptions and plagiarizing other reporters at the
world's best-known newspaper.
A veteran reporter for USA Today, Jack Kelley, is fired
after it is revealed that he had made up stories for many years.
In another embarrassing moment for The Times, editors concede
that the newspaper's reporting about weapons of mass destruction
before the war in Iraq was inaccurate and based on less than reliable
and often biased sources.
The credibility of the news media, electronic and print, has fallen
in recent years. In the absence of news sources that are "objective"
or perceived to be so, many Americans choose media on the basis
of their own political views .
Given all the recent criticism and controversy surrounding the
media, Macalester Today asked five alumni journalists to
reflect on the state of the media and analyze the issues facing
their profession. They made their comments before the November elections.
Doug Stone, director of college relations at Macalester, spent
19 years in journalism as a reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune
and assistant news director of WCCO-TV in Minneapolis. He also teaches
journalism at Macalester.
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