Al Jazeera America anchor Ali Velshi thinks its time for TV news to get serious about getting better. Noting that trust in the media among millennials “is a dismal 12 percent,” Velshi argues journalists need to get back to basics. “Many people don’t trust us and we have to do everything possible to retain the trust of the minority while doing our damnedest to convince the majority to give us another chance.”
Velshi says audience erosion and the fading fortunes of once-titanic franchises like the network evening news mean maintaining credibility is essential.
“The first thing mainstream TV journalism needs to do is stop shooting itself in the foot,” writes Velshi. “Because the last thing my industry can afford in these troubled times is a high-profile news anchor like NBC’s Brian Williams exaggerating what happened while he was reporting stories. Or ABC’s George Stephanopoulos giving money to organizations run by his former employer, Bill Clinton, while he reports on Hillary Clinton.”