The Gray Area with Sean Illing

A veteran reporter on how to fix the news

Dec 5, 2022

In a compelling discussion, James Fallows, a veteran journalist at The Atlantic, delves into the troubling state of political journalism and its impact on democracy. He explores how the decline of local news contributes to misinformation and public distrust. Fallows critiques the trend of 'both sides-ism' and emphasizes the need for nuanced reporting. He also shares innovative solutions to rejuvenate local journalism and highlights the importance of understanding the complexities of America's political divide for better community engagement.

56:00

Episode guests

James Fallows

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

3min

The Evolution and Challenges of Political Journalism

17min

The Impact of Local News Decline on Politics

2min

Revitalizing Local Journalism

14min

Exploring America's Political Divide

2min

The Myth of Division: Media and Politics

12min

Building New Public Information Systems

2min

Revitalizing Local News through Federal Support

4min

Sean Illing talks with James Fallows, veteran reporter and editor at The Atlantic, about the state of political journalism in America. Fallows has been covering the relationship between media and democracy since the mid-nineties, when his book Breaking the News presciently documented the roots of a growing mistrust in news media. Sean and James talk about the dangers facing the political press today, why national political news is not useful to most Americans, and what can be done to regain the people's trust in journalism.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area

Guest: James Fallows (@JamesFallows), author of the newsletter, Breaking the News: Dispatches from a Veteran Reporter on Substack

References:

Breaking the News: How the Media Undermine American Democracy by James Fallows (Vintage; 1996)
Ashley Parker's tweet (Nov. 22)
"Exclusive: Naomi Biden On Her White House Wedding" by Chloe Malle (Vogue; Nov. 22)
Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Into the Heart of America by James Fallows and Deborah Fallows (Vintage; 2018)
Our Towns (HBO; 2021)
Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers
"Leslie Moonves on Donald Trump: 'It May Not Be Good for America, but It's Damn Good for CBS'" by Paul Bond (Hollywood Reporter; Feb. 29, 2016)
Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann (1922)
"Correcting the Record; Times Reporter Who Resigned Leaves Long Trail of Deception" by Dan Barry et al. (New York Times; May 11, 2003)
"Weapons of Mass Destruction? Or Mass Distraction?" by Daniel Okrent (New York Times; May 30, 2004)
"3 Truths About Trump" by James Fallows (The Atlantic; July 13, 2015)
The Paradox of Democracy by Zac Gershberg and Sean Illing (U. Chicago; 2022)

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall

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