LWV of Sanibel hosts luncheon program
The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Sanibel held a luncheon and educational program, “Freedom of the Press Today: A Panel Discussion,” on March 16 at the Sundial Beach Resort & Spa on Sanibel.
Moderated by Janice Chaddock, it featured three speakers related to first Amendment rights.
Frannie Block is an investigative reporter at The Free Press. She covers the forces shaping American life. Block began her career covering breaking news at the Des Moines Register. She has family ties to Sanibel as she has been living or visiting the island for many years.
Miriam Pepper is the former editorial editor for the Kansas City Star and a Pulitzer Prize winner for her work as a journalist. She resides on Sanibel with her husband.
Attorney Scott Ponce is with Holland & Knight’s Miami office, focused on media and intellectual property law. He has represented national and local media outlets in defamation suits, public records litigation, and prepublication review of articles and broadcasts.
The panelists responded to a number of questions, including the following from attendees:
– What is the state of journalist and press freedom?
The panelists varied from the “bleak” to “democratized.” It is more difficult today for the mainstream publications, such as newsprint and legacy TV, to survive both economically and legally. The rise of social media sites and the Substack arena make it hard to compete in the fast track world of news today. There are worries about the sustainability of journalism as a career; there is a concern about journalists victimized by violence which is an ongoing threat to freedom of the press.
– What has been the impact to mainstream journalism from the internet and social media?
The overarching issues of what is true — or what is misinformation or disinformation — is now embedded in our nation’s psyche; it is much more difficult to distinguish truth from lies or from “deep fakes” created by artificial intelligence. The instantaneous nature of social media, from the spectrum of politics and policy, does not allow for nuance or substance. Law firms specializing in First Amendment cases are concerned with journalists’ sources and defamation suits; many judges still have not been educated thoroughly as to today’s vast information spectrum — much of it still untested.
– What about the future of journalism?
There is an ever-growing lack of trust in the media, as the panelists agreed there is a “trust crisis.” In addition, Americans seemingly turn their backs on the media, with a lack of engagement and some level of apathy. They agreed that although the “public square” is filled with the often silly algorithms of TikTok, we still need reliable information and fact-based truth from ethically based, trustworthy sources. A deeper dive into civics education and how to discern fact-based truths is more important to education than ever before. The panelists underscored “media literacy” as an important part of our information future.
A link to a video recording of the program is available.
For the link or more information, contact lwvsanibel@gmail.com.