Issues ranging from the components of good reporting to credibility in the media were tackled last night at the inaugural Ben Bronstein Lecture in Ethics and Public Communications.
The lecture, an informal discussion between Jennifer Palmieri, senior vice president for communications at the Center for American Progress, and Dale Davenport, editorial page editor for The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, was given at 7 last night to a packed HUB Auditorium.
"The best coverage is the coverage that reporters get on their own and develop while they are covering it," Davenport said. "When you can provide [both sides of the argument] and give us something juicy, then you have done your job."
Palmieri agreed with Davenport, however she said that because of the constant "deluge" of information and the 24-hour cable TV news cycle, pressure is put on journalists to churn out stories that may not be important.
"There is more content and less substance in the media," she said. "If you are constantly writing, you don't have as much time to go out and do entrepreneurial stories."
Both lecturers agreed that ethics and credibility in journalism should have more focus, while not being compromised just because of technological advancements.
Davenport said the Internet can be both one of the best things and one of the worst things that has happened to journalism, in that the information that is readily available is infinite, however, not always accurate.
"Accuracy, striving for an objective, going beyond the surface and going after a story that has some substance to it has to be stressed," Davenport said. "Sticking to the basic principles are the important things, technology can be taught."
Joanna Newman (junior-journalism) said she is sometimes confused by the news because of its supposed credibility or lack thereof.
"I don't know that I have figured out what to think about the media, especially in this presidential campaign," she said. "I mean I know my thoughts on the election, but I don't know what to think is true."
Davenport said a love for journalism is necessary when approaching a career in the field.
"I hope we sell newspapers because it pays my salary," he said. "Beyond that, no one stays in this business, puts in the hours and goes through the grind to get rich, because they aren't going to. We do it because we believe in it."
