SMPA Hosts Media Scholars Robert McChesney and John Nichols

Media Scholars Robert McChesney and John Nichols spoke at the Marvin Center this morning about their newly released book, “The Death and Life of American Journalism,” a treatise on the political and historical implications of the decline of traditional news sources.

“The way to understand this debate is to eliminate certain words,” John Nichols began. “Because this is not a debate about journalism, newspapers and media. This is a discussion about democracy.”

In the newly released book, McChesney and Nichols argue that it is the first duty of a democratic state to make sure that a free press actually exists. Rejecting the argument that the internet and new media will provide an alternative to traditional news sources, the authors say the government should subsidize journalism.

"There are two great traditions of the freedom of the press in the United States, but most Americans only know one of them,” McChesney said, referring to the 1st Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press. “The right to a free press is a hollow right – It’s like my right to play in the NBA.”

John Nichols cited a recent PEW study that found that 96% of news today is still produced by traditional sources—newspapers, radio and TV—while only 4% is produced by new media. When over the last two years, 30,000 newspaper employees in the United States have lost their job, it is unclear what will replace the traditional sources.

“This is not a crisis that is unsolvable, but we’re limited by the blindfolds we have on ourselves,” McChesney continued. “We think the only credible solution to the crisis before us is significant public funds for independent journalism.”

Proposals in the book include federal government subsidies as well as a $200 voucher for every American that can be spent on any journalistic enterprise.

“The debate is more important than any particular proposal,” Nichols added. “The American public may well come up with better ideas that we did.”

"Young people are not stupid," McChesney added. "If they were stupid they would be reading those papers."

John Nichols writes about politics for The Nation magazine as its Washington correspondent, and has experience in newspaper, magazine and blog writing. He has reported from 25 countries and interviewed every president since Jimmy Carter. Nichols was joined by Dr. McChesney, host of NPR’s “Media Matters,” professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and author of 16 books translated into 21 languages.

This event was the first in a series this spring about “Transforming Journalism,” hosted by the School of Media and Public Affairs’ Frank Sesno.