I grew up in a time when Walter Cronkite was the definitive word on what happened in the news that day. Hosting the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite from 1962 to 1981, which aired nightly at 11 p.m., Cronkite had the reputation of being "the most trusted man in America."

He gained that reputation because he was a consummate journalist. Starting his career out on his middle and high school newspaper, he had the ability and the drive to learn about and interpret the day's happenings in an accurate and accessible manner.

This ability was so important to the cohesion of the American population. 

The news landscape has changed since then and is now represented by national and international organizations using coverage of the news to promote ideologies that create discontent and disconnection.  

According to William McKenzie, Senior Editorial Advisor at the Bush Institute,  “One reason communities as well as our democracy are fraying is because there is so much debate about the facts, whether that is about COVID-19, the January 6th insurrection, or even something local. Without a common understanding about what is happening, it is hard to develop a shared culture.” 

"Disinformation, he writes, "undermines people’s trust in democracy and its institutions. The rise of disinformation campaigns and the decline in local journalism in the United States have emerged as obstacles to the reliable flow of information."

Accurate information is imperative to an informed pubic. Media literacy is imperative to wend our way through the current national media landscape.  

For the month of August, the River Reporter is championing media literacy in a series of one-hour workshops presented in partnership with the public libraries in Wayne and Sullivan counties.

Stay tuned for more.