There was a time in journalism when public editors were fairly common. The public editor — or readers’ advocate or ombudsman, as it was called at some outlets — helped keep news organizations honest, fair and transparent. The public editors would dissect how certain stories were reported and written. They would report on errors and omissions. They would act as a liaison between the news outlet and its customers, asking pertinent questions about an outlet’s coverage. They were the independent bridge between the audience and the newsroom where conversations about standards took place.
Basically, the public editor’s job is to provide oversight over a news organization.
But then something happened. The public editor started to disappear.
The New York Times famously hired a public editor in the wake of the Jayson Blair scandal. But it also infamously stopped having a public editor in 2017 — a decision that many in journalism circles still criticize. ESPN had ombudsmen for a spell, but that job disappeared, too. Of course, there were public editors at other papers before the Times and ESPN, and there continue to be public editors now.
Well, there’s one that I know of. My Poynter colleague Kelly McBride serves as the public editor for NPR. Unless there are a few at smaller papers that I don’t know about, McBride might be the only public editor left in America.
Now there’s one more.
The Dallas Morning News announced Tuesday that it has hired Stephen Buckley as its public editor. Buckley teaches at Duke University, where he is a professor of the practice of journalism and public policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy. He also is the former dean of the Poynter Institute, where he now serves on the board of trustees. Before that, he was a reporter and editor at The Washington Post and Tampa Bay Times.
In a column announcing the hiring of a new public editor, Morning News publisher and CEO Grant Moise wrote about how the public’s trust in the media has plunged and added, “This reality is deeply troubling to our staff at The Dallas Morning News because we realize that when people don’t trust public institutions and the media (which is intended to hold public institutions accountable), something must change. So, what do you do when trust is missing in a relationship? You address it.”
Moise then wrote, “The more we researched this role, the more we became convinced we wanted to engage an independent public editor to help act as a bridge between the public and our newsroom.”
On Tuesday, I spoke by phone with Buckley about his new role as public editor.
“A really bold, counterintuitive move (by the Morning News),” Buckley told me. “And the motivation is exactly right, which is: the most important issue for our industry is reestablishing trust with the public.”
Buckley sees the Morning News as one of the most important regional news organizations in the country and said he’s honored to be chosen to “be part of this bold experiment.”
Why has the public editor gone away? Primarily, one would guess, it’s because news organizations wanted to cut costs. Other news leaders have claimed that the internet is full of media critics — and readers with social media accounts — who now serve as de facto public editors. That’s hardly a valid excuse, but it is one that is often made.
“We are at a moment in history when bringing back somebody who can be a bridge between the public and the newsroom seems like a really smart thing to do,” Buckley said.
Buckley will be paid by the Morning News but said he will be an independent voice.
“I don’t represent the newsroom and I don’t represent the readers,” Buckley said.
Buckley is sure there will be times when he disagrees with the public on how the Morning News handled a story, just as he is sure will often agree with the readers and their concerns or complaints about how the Morning News performed its job. He said he will be an “honest broker.”
Buckley repeated to me what he told a Morning News editor: “We do work for the public, but we serve the truth.”
In his column, Moise wrote, “There will be times when Stephen defends the journalists and times when Stephen defends you, the reader. I know Stephen will not always agree with our judgment calls, which is okay. We are not perfect, and we don’t get it right 100 percent of the time. It’s my hope that Stephen will help you better understand the role of the media, which will ultimately help you learn you can trust us as your primary source of news.”
The Morning News first reached out to Buckley last year when Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot said he didn’t make comments that were attributed to him in a story about police violence. The paper asked Buckley to do an independent review. Before that review was completed, the reporter resigned. After the review, the Morning News retracted the story.
So now Buckley returns on a more full-time basis. He will continue teaching at Duke, while writing, for now, a once-a-month column for Morning News that starts on May 12.
“But a lot of what I’ll be doing is engaging with the public,” Buckley said. “A lot of what I will be doing is responding to readers’ questions. … I’m not coming into this with a personal agenda and I’m not going to have a personal agenda.”
The Dallas Morning News deserves major credit for this move. It costs money, and it opens the paper up to questions and criticism. But there is also something to be gained: accountability and, in the best-case scenario, trust.
Moise wrote, “In the same way that news organizations rightly believe their role is to hold the powerful accountable, we recognize that we need to be held accountable, too. It’s a two-way street. We want to be different at The News and want you to trust us. However, we know trust is earned, not given. That is why it’s important to me that we take this step for you and others who want a trustworthy news source in North Texas to help you make better decisions and live better lives.”
Covering horrific events
Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst has been named recipient of the Axel Springer George Weidenfeld Prize for journalism. The award is for young journalists who have demonstrated courage in their reporting.
Here’s a good Q&A with Yingst from TVNewser’s Ethan Alter. On reporting from the Middle East, Yingst says, “It’s heavy to see such suffering in a place that I’ve lived for almost six years now while covering these events. It’s also challenging because war often creates a lack of empathy among the people involved. That can be disheartening, but I still want to go to the places that other people won’t go and tell the stories other people won’t tell with one major goal in mind: To make people care and to make people see that even though Israelis and Palestinians have had vastly different experiences and led vastly different lives, they’re all people.”
As far as covering such a complex and nuanced topic of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Yingst is adamant about not showing biases, saying, “I always remember that my role is to be an objective observer and understand the complexities of such a conflict, be delicate in my reporting and be thoughtful in the language that I use. There are many flashpoints in the Middle East; one example is how Muslims refer to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound while Jews refer to the same location as Temple Mount. It’s not my role to pick a name. I’ll report both — even if it takes a little longer — in order to help the audience understand that this is land that is being fought over and people are suffering across the spectrum.”
Trump calls for reporter’s release
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom in Moscow last week. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom in Moscow last week. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
After some encouragement to do so, former President Donald Trump has joined those calling for Russia to release jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Gershkovich has been detained for more than a year in Russia on charges he is a spy — allegations that the Journal and U.S. government vehemently deny.
In an interview with Time magazine, Trump was asked by reporter Eric Cortellessa why he hasn’t called for Gershkovich’s release.
Trump said, “I guess because I have so many things I’m working on. I have hundreds of things. And I probably have said very good things about him. Maybe it wasn’t reported. But I think he’s a very brave young man.”
When prodded, Trump said, “Oh, I would certainly call. I’ll call for it right now in your story if you’d like. … And here’s a difference between me and Biden: I’ll get him released. He’ll be released. Putin is going to release him.”
By the way, the Time interview is really long. Actually, it’s interviews — plural. They talked to him more than once.
There is a story — “How far Trump would go” — as well as this addition: “Fact-Checking What Donald Trump Said in His 2024 Interviews With TIME.”
Moving on
Josina Anderson, a longtime NFL insider, announced on X on Tuesday that she is leaving CBS Sports. Anderson tweeted a photo of herself and wrote, “I want to thank the CBS Sports team for my experience and time there. I’m amicably moving on to future ventures. I wish all of the talented insiders, anchors, reporters, producers, executives and support staff the best. Cordially, Josina Anderson.”
Anderson joined CBS Sports in September of 2021 after nine years at ESPN. She left ESPN after her contract expired and a new deal was not worked out.
Media tidbits
- CNN’s Marshall Cohen with “Fox News takes down Hunter Biden ‘mock trial’ miniseries after lawsuit threat.”
- Puck’s Dylan Byers tweeted out this scoop on Tuesday: “Rob Marciano, the ABC News & Good Morning America meteorologist, has been fired from the network, per sources familiar. Multiple staffers had made complaints about Marciano’s behavior over the years and he was at least temporarily barred from main GMA set in NYC.” Here’s more from The Daily Beast’s Justin Baragano.
- Axios’ Sara Fischer with “Major U.S. newspapers sue OpenAI, Microsoft for copyright infringement.”
- Variety’s Brian Steinberg with “Fox News Bets on Comedy, but Not Only for Laughs.”
- Alex Sherman of CNBC doing what a good reporter should do. He made the phone call for “NBC Sports could buy back rights to iconic theme song ‘Roundball Rock’ if it airs NBA games again, composer John Tesh says.”
- The James Beard Foundation announced their nominees for their 2024 media awards. The awards celebrate “exceptional storytellers whose work has the transformative potential to educate, inspire, and foster connection through a shared love of food,” according to Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. The winners will be announced June 8 in Chicago.
Hot type
For The New York Times, Sarah Kliff with “Honeybees Invaded My House, and No One Would Help.”
Cool interactive story from The Washington Post’s Caitlin Gilbert and
Luis Melgar: “Americans are sleeping more than ever. See how you compare.”
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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