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Let's Find Common Ground

Broken Media: Restoring Trust in News Coverage. Mark Sappenfield and Story Hinckley

Let's Find Common Ground

USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future

News, Trump, Opinion, Usc, California, Polls, Debates, Strategists, University, Education, Government, Universitysoutherncalifornia, America, Presidential, Dornsife, Bipartisanship, School, Democrat, Primaries, Elections, Shrum, Primary, News Commentary, Republican, Analysis, General, Polarization, International, Journalists, Federal, Commentary, Election, National, Conversation, Race, Centerpoliticalfuture, Conversations, Murphy, Moderator, Political, Coverage, Biden, Podcast, Politics

52.7K Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2022

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The United States has one of the highest news avoidance rates in the world. Tens of millions of Americans don't read, watch or listen to the news each day. The media are held in low regard by the public. So, is there a better way to report and analyze current events that satisfies readers' interests? We hear from Mark Sappenfield, Editor of The Christian Science Monitor, and Story Hinckley, the paper's National Political Correspondent. We're releasing this podcast less than two weeks before the midterm elections— a time when many news outlets have amped up their coverage, speculated about winners and losers, and put additional emphasis on the nation's deep partisan divides. To date, this episode of Let's Find Common Ground is our most downloaded episode. We discuss evolving news values with The Monitor and how reporters and editors are striving to highlight constructive solutions that unite rather than divide. We also hear about election coverage and why the media need to challenge readers, build trust, and report the news truthfully. In this episode, we mention Common Ground Scorecard— a tool that helps voters learn which elected officials and candidates are seeking common ground on vital issues. The President, Vice President and every Senator, Member of Congress, and governor has a personal rating. Learn more: commongroundscorecard.org.

Transcript

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0:00.0

America has one of the highest news avoidance rates in the world.

0:05.4

Tens of millions of people don't read, watch, or listen to the news each day.

0:10.4

The media are held in low regard by the public.

0:14.4

So is there a better way to report and cover current events?

0:18.6

That's the focus of this episode.

0:26.2

This is Let's Find Common Ground.

0:28.6

I'm Richard Davies.

0:30.2

And I'm Ashley Nontite.

0:32.2

Our guest and Mark Sappenfield, editor of the Christian Science Monitor,

0:36.4

and story-hinkly, the paper's national political correspondent.

0:40.4

We're releasing this episode less than two weeks before the midterm elections.

0:44.8

The time when many news outlets have amped up their coverage

0:47.8

and put additional emphasis on red versus blue.

0:52.0

We discuss why the monitor has put a recent focus on values that drive

0:57.0

its news coverage.

0:58.4

How reporters and editors are working to highlight constructive solutions

1:02.8

that unite rather than divide.

1:05.2

With the upcoming election in mind, we ask Mark Sappenfield,

1:08.8

how is the monitor's coverage of politics different than the usual focus on winners and losers?

1:14.2

As it might imagine, I've been thinking about that quite a bit recently.

1:17.8

I was just reading an article about exactly that,

1:20.2

about how the media covers politics.

...

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