Pro Publica, an independent newspaper project, which aims to *revitalize investigative journalism”, launched last month, reports mediachannel.org. The paper will be staffed by some of the US’s top journalists and hopes to provide the sort of thorough investigative reporting that is becoming increasingly scarce in today’s media.
According to
mediachannel.org, stories will be made accessible to a variety of media outlets under an assortment of distribution arrangements.
Paul E. Steiger, former managing editor of
The Wall Street Journal, will act as the editor-in-chief.
The project was launched with a multi-million dollar grant from
Herbert M. and
Marion O. Sandler, previous owners of Golden West Financial Corporation, which they sold in 2006.
While
Pro Publica’s intentions are noble,
Robert Jensen, journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin and contributor on mediachannel.org, suggests that the group’s lofty mission statement, in which it claims it will report in an “entirely non-partisan and non-ideological manner, adhering to the strictest standards of journalistic impartiality,” illustrates the failure of independent journalism to acknowledge the inherent partiality built into the corporate commercial system of today’s media industry.
Other critics have also presented concerns that the Sandlers’ past endorsement of Democratic Party candidates and liberal causes could skew
Pro Publica’s coverage.
Although some critics remain skeptical as to whether or not
Pro Publica’s can hold to its mission to provide groundbreaking, unbiased investigative reporting, the initiative nevertheless presents hope for journalism unbridled by profit-driven motives.
Source:
mediachannel,org
