There is no gentle way to say this: The America that today’s young journalists will cover is not the America my generation inherited. It is more divided, more suspicious, more anxious, and more openly hostile to truth. We once thought the difficult part of journalism was getting the story. Today, the hard part is convincing a fractured public that the story is real.
And yet, that’s exactly why this new generation must be better, more skilled, more courageous, and more rooted in the ethics of the craft than any previous generation.
I am about to deliver my final lecture of the semester to a classroom of aspiring, reality-based journalists. The survival of journalism depends not on technology, platforms, or business models, but on the moral resolve of those who practice it.
This lecture also acts as a plea to everyone who still believes that the truth matters.
Accuracy Is Your Sacred Obligation
Not speed.
Not applause.
Not ideology.
Accuracy.
The moment a journalist compromises accuracy, they cease to be a journalist and become a performer. Truth takes time. Truth endures longer. In a democracy torn apart by lies, accuracy is no longer just a professional choice; it becomes a civic responsibility.
I tell students to ask relentlessly:
What do I know?
How do I know it?
What don’t I know yet?
Who could be harmed by error?
Every story you publish becomes part of the nation’s memory. Please handle it with respect.
Curiosity Over Certainty
Certainty can hinder quality reporting. It narrows the mind and seals the doors. Curiosity, on the other hand, opens all of them.
Great journalists challenge their own beliefs. They avoid simple stories. They embrace disagreement. The instant you believe you fully understand people is when your reporting becomes less valuable.
Never confuse access with integrity.
Being close to power is not the goal.
Holding power accountable is.
You are not here to charm, protect, or serve the powerful. You are here to inform those who lack power.
Remember Who Journalism Is for
It is not for newsrooms.
It is not for awards.
It is not for clicks.
Journalism is for the voiceless, the overlooked, the misrepresented, and the public good. That mission never becomes outdated, even when the industry does.
Be Human and Courageous
“Self-courage” is not a phrase journalists usually borrow from psychology. It should be.
Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability, accountability, and truth-telling accurately describes the qualities journalism now needs.
Vulnerability Is Not Weakness
It’s the birthplace of truth.
For journalists, vulnerability means being willing to say, “I don’t know yet,” admit when you’re wrong, listen without defensiveness, and report with humility. There is no courage without vulnerability.
Courage Over Comfort
As Brown writes: “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.”
Journalists must have the courage to ask tough questions, to publish uncomfortable truths, to resist tribal applause, and to stand alone in a crowd demanding that you conform.
Comfort is seductive.
Courage is essential.
Strive to Understand the Human Condition
The constant arguing over political tribalism, though newsworthy, can distract journalists from Americans’ essential needs. This recent election serves as a small example. Voters clearly communicated their priorities: Safety, security, jobs, quality schools, a living wage, and more.
Journalists received that message, and then many quickly went back to chasing the political noise makers.
The America They Will Cover
This generation of journalists will inherit a country that is:
More racially diverse
More multiracial and multi-faith
Less dominated by any single cultural identity
More polarized, yet more interconnected
More anxious about change
They will be called to address identity politics, demographic change, cultural grief, power shifts, and fierce resistance to pluralism.
Their responsibility is not to inflame this transition, but to interpret it honestly.
Covering What America Is Becoming
Abandon the Myth of “The Default American”
There is no single American story anymore. There never was. Your reporting must reflect complexity, hybridity, and nuance, not nostalgia for a country that existed only in myth.
Cover Change Without Framing It as Loss
Too much journalism describes demographic reality as decline.
Young journalists must provide context, not fear:
Diversity is not decay.
Evolution is not erasure.
Change is not a catastrophe.
Be a Translator, Not an Amplifier
Division sells, and that is exactly why journalists must refuse to sell it. Translate culture. Humanize tension. Reveal manipulation. Do not repeat poison just because it travels well.
The Moral Compass of Journalism
These young reporters are entering a nation where trust is fragile, truth is disputed, and democracy feels alarmingly fragile.
Their role is not neutral in the moral sense. It is ethical.
Journalists must ask:
Who does this harm?
Who benefits from misinformation?
What happens if truth disappears here?
Democracy depends on a press willing to stand its ground. Journalism relies on people willing to be brave.
A Message to the Journalists I’m Sending Out Into the World
You will not cover a perfect country.
You will cover a changing one.
You will be told:
That the past was better,
That your neighbors are enemies,
That fear is patriotism,
That complexity is a weakness.
Please don’t listen.
Listen instead to:
The quiet voices,
The honest voices,
The vulnerable voices,
The uncomfortable truths.
Tell the stories that matter—even when they hurt.
Could you tell them with fairness?
Could you tell them with spine?
Tell them with heart.
And remember:
You are not here to freeze America in time.
You are here to help people understand who we are becoming.
That is the highest calling of journalism.