Americans' trust in news media has declined over the past 50 years. Margaret Sullivan, author and former media columnist for the Washington Post, said the 24-hour news cycle, the internet and coverage of former President Donald Trump are to blame.
"I think that former President Trump did a lot of damage," Sullivan said. "He used the disparagement of the news media as a central part of his initial campaign, and then of his administration, and afterwards."
Reporters' constant coverage of former President Trump was a "disservice" to those in the profession because overloaded the public "to the exclusion of anything else," Sullivan said.
The author noted that journalists have a "constitutionally protected role" and are important to protecting democracy.
"We need to remember that we have a job, which is to inform the public, and to do it properly, and that our job is not to get the most clicks. And it's not to get the most corporate profits, but it is to inform citizens so that they can be self-governing," said Sullivan. "And I think we've kind of lost touch with that to some extent."
Sullivan joined Up To Date to discuss "Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life," her career and the role of the media in democracy.
- Margaret Sullivan, Duke University’s Egan Professor, author and former media columnist for the Washington Post
