Richard Benedetto:
“…So, what should we make of all this negativity on the part of The Washington Post and other national news organizations? (The Post is hardly alone.) As a newspaper reporter on the local, state and national levels for nearly 40 years, and as a journalism and political science professor for 15 years, I find it highly disturbing. I am reminded of a course I took in graduate school that focused on the responsibility of the media. I recall the professor noting that with the American press enjoying such great freedom, it becomes even more important that it wield that freedom judiciously.
“With such great freedom comes even greater responsibility” is the way that professor wisely put it. It is a lesson I never forgot. Of course, there is no law against the Post or other news organizations framing its coronavirus coverage with a highly negative and anti-Trump slant. But there is obligation to readers to present its information in a fair and balanced manner.
This is not to say that the media should be painting rosy pictures of a very dangerous situation. At the same time, they should not be using the crisis to frighten people and further their own political agenda.The American public, which is anxious enough in these perilous times, doesn’t need its trusted news sources to be playing political games…”