Despite the warm and witty tone of his talk, New York Times correspondent R.W. (Jonny) Apple Jr. painted a bleak picture of the state of American journalism in his
Oct. 13 Chubb Lecture, "Politics, Privacy and the Press." Speaking to a capacity audience at the Law School, Apple said, "None of the three is in good shape."
Beginning his talk with a discussion of the media, Apple, a long-time newspaper reporter, admitted, "We have lost our way. Journalism has become conflated with entertainment, even though the purpose of the two is entirely different." He accused the major television networks of sensationalism and superficiality, and the print press of allowing "more commentary to chase less legwork."
Financial considerations have led the news media to use fewer permanent correspondents at key spots like the Supreme Court and foreign bureaus, said Apple, noting that the major networks currently have only six correspondents worldwide and none in the southern hemisphere. The result, he said, is less serious, less inclusive coverage by reporters who lack context for their stories. The print press has been weakened by the disappearance of independent newspapers, as many have folded and others have been absorbed into national chains, contended the newsman.
Turning to politics, Apple asserted that since the "wounds to our national psyche from the Vietnam War and Watergate," it has become a "national passion to make everything transparently democratic." This has led the nation down some "wrong roads," he said, excluding experienced politicians from the process of nominating candidates for the presidency, for example. Relying exclusively on primary elections encourages candidates with money and celebrity, and weakens the party structure, he added.
"We don't talk anymore about how well Congress or the president governs," but focus instead on symbolism, slogans and process, said Apple, who served for 12 years as chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times and for four years as the paper's Washington bureau chief. He now writes extensively on politics, foreign policy and economics, as well as on food, wine, travel and the arts.
"We live in an age of consultants, focus groups, pollsters and spin doctors," said Apple. "Representative government is under assault." He added, "We have the notion that every issue should be a referendum" and are no longer willing to rely on our elected representatives to make decisions on our behalf.
"Privacy? Oy vey," Apple sighed, as he tackled his third theme. "We have ripped back the curtain that separated public and private life." He criticized the recent release of grand jury testimony from the Independent Prosecutor's Office, saying "I can't see any explanation, and I haven't heard or read any, for the massive release of data," except that "there's a little bit of voyeur in each of us." He cautioned, "Every time you pull back the curtain, you'd better have a damned good idea why you're doing it ... The dignity of the presidency has been seriously damaged."
Because of the invasive tactics of the media and the loss of privacy, "more and more apparently well-qualified, well-motivated people" are refusing to run for president, contended Apple, naming Colin Powell, Mario Cuomo, Dick Cheney and others as examples of this phenomenon.
Noting that there are important issues facing the world today, such as poverty, disease, hunger, nuclear proliferation and religious fundamentalism, Apple urged members of the media to address these, rather than squander their attention on scandal and celebrity. Furthermore, he said, the nation needs "to restore some semblance of civility and bipartisanship to our debased political process."
"This is not a happy time," he concluded, noting that he relies on the creativity of American business and technology, on the dedication of young people to public service and on the national character to see the nation through. "We are an ornery, stubborn, cussed lot. And that's wonderful," said Apple.
-- By Gila Reinstein