“Democracy is predicated on a free press. We have to be able to read newspapers and know what’s happening in the world,” said Aine Donovan, executive director of the Ethics Institute at Dartmouth College.

Considering the importance of a free press, Donovan has some concerns about how the media is reporting news. With presidential candidates parading through New Hampshire in anticipation of the state’s traditional first-in-the-nation primary, voters should focus on big issues like Social Security, taxes, healthcare and the war in Iraq. But, an alarming amount of media coverage seems dedicated to reporting issues like Hillary Clinton’s latest fashion choices and John Edwards’ haircut.
According to Donovan, who appeared in Portsmouth Public Library on Tuesday, Oct. 30, to lead a panel discussion about the current role of the media, most election coverage focuses not on the issues, but on who’s ahead in the polls.

Donovan said she recently read a Washington Post article reporting that 17 percent of all stories on the presidential race were about Hillary Clinton, and the most pressing questions the stories addressed involved her clothing and hair. Barack Obama reeled in the second highest volume of stories, with 14 percent, followed by Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and the rest.
“It’s become a horse race, and we just like to see who’s out in front,” Donovan said.

Donovan directed questions to a panel of experienced journalists that included Andrew Merton, professor of journalism at UNH; James Pindell, political correspondent and blogger for The Boston Globe; and Annmarie Timmins, reporter for Concord Monitor. The panelists addressed questions regarding how much responsibility lies with the media compared to consumers of news. They also discussed issues such as whether advances in Internet technology and blogging have improved or worsened the media, journalism ethics and how the newspaper industry has changed over the years.

According to Pindell, who seemed to become increasingly unpopular with certain audience members as the evening progressed, we have little to worry about. Although he is concerned about the fact that, according to Donovan, only about 20 percent of eligible voters usually show up at the polls, Pindell views the swelling array of available news sources as a positive thing for the public. Whether you get your news from television, radio, newspapers, magazines, blogs or YouTube, information is more accessible than ever, he said.

“I’m a reporter. I’m in the information business. So, I don’t really care about what form it’s in,” Pindell said.

Defending his position as a professional blogger for The Boston Globe, Pindell said that the future of news coverage is undeniably online. Mechanisms like blogs increase the immediacy of news and provide a greater variety of sources, he said.
“I am all about it,” he said. “I am so excited, both as a reporter and as a big-time news junky.”

Timmins, who recently received the Donald M. Murray Outstanding Journalism award from the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, was less enthusiastic about blogs. She said she has generally found them to be poorly reported, poorly written, inaccurate and libelous. But, after about 15 years at Concord Monitor, Timmins remains confident that local, family owned newspapers can report important news stories without being influenced by commerce or advertisers.

“I don’t feel like there’s ever any kind of guidance from the business office or the publisher as to what I should or should not write about,” she said.

However, Timmins has noticed a decline in advertising at the Monitor, which has led to cuts in staffing and resources, requiring fewer reporters to tackle more stories. She has also been frustrated by the Monitor’s recent efforts to attract more subscribers with light, fluffy stories, asking readers to write about their first cars, their children’s names and other topics, which Timmins called “empty,” “inane” and “stupid and silly.”

“There has been a purposeful effort at our paper to fill some space with lighter material that doesn’t take as much work,” she said.

Merton acknowledged that only a small percentage of young people in the United States actually read newspapers. (According to Donovan, most Americans read less than one newspaper per week and less than one book per year.) As he trains aspiring journalism students at UNH, he often finds that most of them do not read newspapers themselves.

“I’m refusing to be alarmed by this, though, because the same was true 35 years ago when I started at UNH. They didn’t read newspapers then, either,” Merton said.

Both Merton and Pindell indicated that much of the burden for being a conscientious citizen lies with the consumer of information, and not the reporter. But, a large segment of the audience seemed to disagree. Guests at the library voiced their frustrations with the media, accusing news outlets of focusing on insignificant figures like Britney Spears, instead of thoroughly informing citizens about primary candidates, for example.

“We’re more concerned about the idiot celebrities, who I wish would all disappear,” said a woman whose teenage grandchildren care more about the lives of celebrities than real news, she said.

Pindell drew ire from some guests when he contended that primary candidates within each party are more or less the same regarding the issues, and that most citizens vote more on character traits. The real issues will come out during the general election next year, he said.

But, a woman in the audience complained that newspapers do not provide her with the important news she wants. She said she no longer buys newspapers because she is not interested in Hillary Clinton’s clothing or hair. “That’s crap. We are absolutely sick of it,” she said.

One man accused most journalists of getting into the business with the goal of becoming rich and famous. He said too many reporters get shoveled information from a select group of sources and then write about it, which he called a “lateralist” technique. Other journalists hang out with their sources and accept gifts from them, which could influence their reporting.
“That’s not journalism, that’s treachery,” the man said.

Donovan added that the Bush administration requires reporters to “play ball” if they want access to news about Iraq and other issues, only allowing them to report what the administration wants reported. Journalists who refuse to play ball are shut off.
Pindell defended The Boston Globe, noting that the paper has won Pulitzer Prizes for reporting stories that were highly critical of President Bush. Merton and Pindell believe citizens can find the type of reporting they’re looking for if they search for it.
“If you want the news and you seek it out, it’s almost always out there,” Pindell said. “It’s completely accessible. The information is there.”

Donovan added that, although incidents of phony news reports and irresponsible journalism put a blemish on the media, there is more accountability than ever. Editors now have more ways of verifying sources and catching reporters who break the rules, she said.

The panel discussion was put together by the N.H. Humanities Council as part of the nationwide October event “The Big Read.” In New Hampshire, the Humanities Council partnered with the N.H. State Library and the N.H. Department of Cultural Resources to present New Hampshire Reads “Farenheit 451,” examining Ray Bradbury’s futuristic novel about the systematic destruction of literature.

Although many of Bradbury’s predictions appear to be coming true—wall-to-wall television screens filled with drivel among them—the three panelists seemed to agree that the public has always faced this threat. Merton quoted the television show “The X Files,” promising guests, “The truth is out there.”