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Hello and welcome to a special episode.

I'm Dana Taylor.

Today is Thursday, February 15, 2024,

and this is a special episode of the excerpt. In the U.S. journalism has long contributed to the checks and balances of power, playing

a crucial role in holding our elected officials accountable from the Watergate

scandal in the 1970s to the ongoing investigations into the capital riots of 2021.

As people continue to find alternative ways to get information,

while newsrooms shrink and social media soars,

is traditional journalism and its integrity in peril.

With two global wars and an already hotly contested

presidential election approaching,

is it time to sound the alarm.

We're joined now by Jay Rosen, journalism professor at New York University and editor and owner of the blog

Press Think.

Thanks for joining me, Jay.

Thanks for having me.

This is a presidential election year and newsrooms across the country are shrinking.

The Washington Post, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, recently laid off over 200 staff members.

Are you concerned that this thinning out of newsrooms will

hamstring 2024 election coverage? I'm concerned about that. There are fewer

...