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Human rights and the news
Published 12:00 p.m., July 30, 2009
I am a newcomer to Fergus Falls. I have only been reading the Journal for a little more than a year. So I found it a great help to read an in depth study of the Journal. The Minnesota Newspaper Foundation sponsored an analysis of the Journal in partnership with the Blandin Foundation and the Editors and Publishers Community Leadership Program.
The report analyzed the production of the Journal during three months of 2009. It concentrated on eight dimensions of a Healthy Community: 1) Safety and Security; 2) Community Leadership; 3) Infrastructure and Services; 4) Economic Opportunity; 5) Life-long Learning; 6) Valuing Diversity; 7) Environmental Stewardship; and 8) Spiritual, Cultural, and Recreational Opportunities.
According to the authors and readers of this report, the Daily Journal is an excellent example of a news provider for a small sized city. In some areas it is exceptional. For instance, its four local reporters write 63% of its news. This means that there is personal coverage of local news. The Journal does not rely heavily on secondary sources or on news services.
The result of this coverage is that there is a multi-dimensional coverage of topics such as community leadership, environmental stewardship, life-long learning, and economic opportunities. According to a staff member from the Center for Small Towns, the Journal is exceptional in providing so much space to these topics. Most papers from small towns, concentrate heavily on Security issues and Infrastructure. The Fergus paper includes such coverage. But having an active and professional group of reporters responsible for a majority of the news results in a more full reporting on the local issues and putting them in the context of the life of the city.
In terms of the geographical focus, the greatest numbers of articles (44%) were local. Next came national with 21%, State with 18%, and regional with 13%. International articles for the study period of three months were 2%. The lack of International articles is due to three reasons: 1) International news bureaus have been drastically cut. 2) The Fergus Falls journal cannot budget international wire services in great quantity. 3) The reportage would be redundant. Readers can obtain foreign news from the T.V., from the web, and from online national newspapers.
I greatly appreciated the work and analysis of the writers of this report. It made me understand the Journal’s organization of the news, its areas of concentration, and its strengths.
The Report increased my awareness of the contribution the daily news makes to our democracy and our society.
The Blandin Foundation’s slogan makes the purpose of the newspaper very clear: “You give power to what you give attention to.” The Journal’s coverage of the “eight Dimensions of a Healthy Community” keeps us in focus of what to watch in terms of promoting the resources for our community.
The freedom of the press is a right that we have had since the founding of our country. It is a right that has been endorsed by many countries and by international law. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights expands on this right. It includes the freedom “to seek, receive and impart information.” It is not enough to have the right of a free press. It is our responsibility to seek and receive information that is necessary to our well-being.
Two areas in the Journal are particularly responsive to this task: namely economic opportunity and environmental stewardship. The Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics, Joseph Stiglitz has criticized the Adam Smith assumption that there is an “invisible hand” that controls or determines our economy. Professor Stiglitz counterargument declares that information has economic value because it allows individuals to make choices more rationally. Without sufficient economically relevant information, individuals can be conned into make self-destructive decisions. When one person has more or better information than the other, there is an imbalance in the knowledge of reality. This negative relationship can lead to exploitation and ill feelings. The more the Journal can cover issues of economic growth and opportunity, the more we can make logical decisions about the local and national economy.
The Journal’s power derives from its power to keep our mind on what is important, what is relevant, and what will make our lives better. According to the report by the Minnesota Newspaper Foundation, it has done a great job. It can better achieve this influence if the public is aware of the importance of the need to engage in a creative and productive relationship with the paper.
Richard Kagan is a Professor Emeritus at Hamline University. He is a Fergus Falls-area resident and member of the city’s human rights commission. He can be reached at rkagan@gw.hamline.edu
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