In Praise of Radically Transparent Journalism

Since the dawn of their profession, journalists have mostly published their findings without focusing much on process – the idea being that nobody really wants to "see how the sausage gets made." But does that logic still hold today?

Since the allegations about Roy Moore's sexual abuse of underage women first came to light in October, efforts to discredit journalists reporting the story have been aggressive. Last month, the right-wing group Project Veritas sent Jaime Phillips to the Washington Post with false sexual assault allegations about Roy Moore in an effort to sow distrust of media coverage on Moore. When the paper figured out that Phillips was lying, it didn't simply kill the story; it investigated her and published a story describing what happened at every step of the way. Margaret Sullivan, the Post's media columnist, argues that stories like these illustrate why journalists should move beyond hiding readers from the messy process of investigative journalism. Bob speaks with Sullivan about why a practice of radical transparency with readers might be the only way a reality-based press will survive. 

Song:

Bubble Wrap (WALL-E) by Thomas Newman