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Dear Readers,
This is my first week as the executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review. I’m deeply honored to take the helm of a publication that, for sixty-three years, has attempted “to assess the performance of journalism in all its forms, to call attention to its shortcomings and its strengths, and to help define—or redefine—standards of honest, responsible service.”
That mission was outlined in our first issue, in the fall of 1961, which also acknowledged “a widespread uneasiness about the state of journalism”—a fear that our craft “is not yet a match for the complications of our age.”
Our age has only gotten more complicated. Today, journalists face challenges from all sides: technological disruption, changing business models, rising misinformation, and threats to democracy and the First Amendment. Compared with 1961, there are exponentially more sources of news—and yet this explosion of information has not corresponded with an increase in public understanding. This year’s presidential campaign demonstrates how fraught the relationship between politicians and the press has become. We also live at a time when seemingly everyone wants to be a media critic—some in good faith, some not.
And yet I am struck by the lasting relevance of the goals originally set out for CJR:
“To deal forthrightly with what it finds to be deficient or irresponsible and to salute what it finds to be responsible, fair, and professional.
“To discuss all the means that carry news to the public, thus viewing the field whole, without the customary partitions.
“To provide a meeting ground for thoughtful discussion of journalism, both by its practitioners and by observers, to encourage debate, and to provide ample space for dissent.”
CJR’s mission and goals are enduring, but the publication has always evolved in accordance with the demands of the times. So here are some of the goals I’d like CJR to achieve during my tenure:
• Our coverage must be far more international, recognizing the common challenges journalists face and the borderless nature of stories like climate change and authoritarianism.
• We also need to focus on local news (including nonprofit and public media), as the proliferation of “news deserts” across America has accelerated a rise in isolation, apathy, and distrust.
• We’ll serve the industry by covering business models for news—and areas like audience engagement, data analytics, and product strategy that modern newsrooms need to get right to survive.
• We’ll chronicle the rise of artificial intelligence, which promises to be as transformational—and disruptive—for the news industry as the rise of the internet was.
• We’ll continue to reflect on the role of journalism as a civic practice. While reporting alone cannot fix all the problems that ail democracies, it’s impossible to imagine a more democratic and just world without a robust free press.
I bring to this job a passion for supporting journalists in the field and defending our craft’s enduring values. I don’t believe in uncritical celebration of the news, but neither do I believe in stories that tear down, mock, or ridicule their subjects. I want CJR to uplift and spotlight the great work journalists do, while earnestly scrutinizing the many ways we can do better and be better. Journalism needs to engage in collective and critical self-reflection—not cynicism or defeatism.
I’m proud to lead CJR in partnership with our publisher, Jelani Cobb, the dean of Columbia Journalism School; the chair of our board of overseers, Rebecca Blumenstein, president of NBC News, Editorial; and the many supporters who make our work possible.
There are many ways you can support our mission. First and foremost, keep reading this newsletter—anchored by my colleague Jon Allsop—and share it with others. Second, email me at sewell.chan@columbia.edu with story ideas, reflections on our coverage, and suggestions for how we can be more useful and relevant for working journalists and anyone interested in journalism. Finally, if you are able, please consider donating to CJR and sustaining our mission.
Thanks for reading.
Sewell Chan
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