The Media Interview: Jerry Dunklee

Jerry Dunklee, professor of journalism at Southern Connecticut State University, was gracious enough to answer a few questions about the current state of media and journalism. And by "media" I'm not talking about Access Hollywood. The line is indeed getting blurred...


Daily Del Franco: Do you recognize blogs as a legitimate source of news gathering or is it a tool for the lazy?

Dunklee: It depends on the blogger. The huge majority of bloggers are not news gatherers. They are simply opinionating on what is happening the the field they are writing about. Most of the “facts” they use come from mainstream news organizations who have professional reporters in the field. A few bloggers actually dig and find news that is not being covered by other reporters.

TDD: The national press coverage on Obama...was it fair?
Dunklee: Yeah, I think the coverage was fair. He, like most newer faces on the political scene, went through a long process of getting known. There was, according to some organizations who research such things, more positive than negative coverage. That is not unusual actually. There was more positive than negative coverage of Pres. Bush when he was running the first time also. And Obama is a very different kind of figure on the scene. It’s not only that he is bi-racial but that he is unusually articulate. Now, we’ll see how the press deals with him once he has the power of the presidency.


TDD: In the age of the 24/7 news cycle, some cable news shows (i.e. "Countdown") are so biased it's frightening. Do you think viewers notice? or even care for that matter? Should they?

Dunklee: It depends on the viewer. I think many people choose a show like “Countdown” or “The O’ Reilly Factor” because it’s biased. That is: People who have strong political opinions often choose news and commentary outlets that agree with their views. That said, I think many people...according to quite good research...don’t separate quality news sources from those with high levels of slant...or entertainment shows, like “Access Hollywood” from legitimate news operations. That is a problem. I think better education about what real journalists do can help...but I’m not holding my breath on the great bulk of our citizens becoming more sophisticated. Perhaps this economic downturn will help them focus on higher quality news.


TDD: Was the biggest misconception of student journalists entering the business?
Dunklee: That it’s glamorous. Or high paying. The truth is the best reporters would do what they do for nothing. (though obviously it’s nice to eat and pay the rent.) They are curious, skeptical of authority and willing to dig. And most of the good ones care deeply about making a difference. They believe that when people have good, accurate information they will usually make good decisions about public issues. We try to give students a sense of the First Amendment mission and hope they will be good citizens.


TDD: What's right about the media today? (We know what's wrong about it)....
Dunklee: With all of the warts...economic and otherwise...there is very good journalism being committed every day in this country. We are going through a very difficult time. I hope we will come out on the other side with broader ways to communicate news to the public and figured out an economic model that will pay for it. And I hope the public will understand that without an independent and strong news media a quality democracy becomes almost impossible.