Why Publications Need to Keep the Public Editor Role Alive in the Fake News Era

The NYT, WaPo and ESPN have cut their ombudsman

A handful of publications recently eliminated their public editor positions in favor of social media, appointing “reader representatives” and sharing more details about how stories were reported as ways to keep their newsrooms in check. But those avenues, media experts said, don’t replace having an internal, trained, professional journalist investigating issues that arise in newsrooms to hold editors accountable.

Publications including The Washington Post in 2013, The New York Times last year and, most recently ESPN in May, eliminated their public editor positions.

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This story first appeared in the July 9, 2018, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.