A gathering of local journalists in San Diego this week may not have made headlines but there was a lot of talk about the news business.
It included long time veteran journalists and new college age inspiring journalists as well.
This gathering was an annual event of the San Diego Press Club, where awards for excellence in local journalism were presented and where accomplished journalists locally were honored for their work over a period of sometimes many years.
And there were comments made by several veteran journalists about how trust in the news has changed.
Longtime TV news anchor Walter Cronkite was often called “the most trusted man in America” back in the 1960s and ‘70s.
In a report just this week by Bloomberg News, a commentator is quoted as saying that the history of journalism in our modern era could be divided into “Before Cronkite” and “After Cronkite.”
Yes things certainly have changed. The emergence of the term fake news during the last decade along with the information and misinformation explosion on social media and the blurry lines between the news and opinion all have led to this age of mistrust.
And most importantly and most concerning, it has led to questions about what is true and what is not.
And as someone once said, without truth there is chaos. Welcome to 2024.
(Photo Getty Images)
Photo: Getty Images