Ted Bridis Comments on the Current State of the Press and Public Perception

Ted Bridis, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Rob Hiaasen Lecturer in Investigative Reporting, was quoted in “Glasser: What the President Gets Wrong About the Press” published in The Daily Caller on April 16.

Charles J. Glasser, Jr., NYU professor of Media Ethics, asks Bridis to comment on the overly broad definition of “the press” that discounts the critical role that the Fourth Estate plays in an open and vibrant democracy.

“There’s definitely been a blurring in the public’s understanding of who or what the press is,” Bridis says. “For one thing, people forget that different outlets have different standards. In addition, we’ve seen pure opinion creep into what ought to be straight public service journalism. That has an impact on credibility, especially with partisan readers.”

“Political reporting has become a bloodsport,” notes Bridis, “and there’s a disproportion to the way that kind of journalism tends to dominate the conversation.”

Bridis adds that the problem is “made worse by the fact that shrinking resources means that fewer newspapers are chasing fewer general assignment stories.”

Posted: April 18, 2019
Category: College News
Tagged as: Ted Bridis, The Daily Caller