There are more movies about my job than I can count.
Films that put reporters or the journalism industry itself in the spotlight span every genre. Looking for a historical thriller? Check out “The Post” or “All The President’s Men.” Chick flick? “The Devil Wears Prada.” Comedy? “Anchorman.” Biopic? “The Insider.” Action? “Spider-Man” (or “Superman,” if you’re loyal to The Daily Planet over The Daily Bugle).
Films’ fascination with reporters seems consistent across time, too, with blockbusters ranging from the 1941 black-and-white classic “Citizen Kane” to the 2022 #MeToo-focused “She Said.”
That’s why I’m never surprised when I get the question: “So … what is it you actually do?” It’s an understandable query for a profession shaped so significantly by the whims of popular imagination.
But I’m always just as unsettled as I am unsurprised.
If people don’t understand what journalists do or why they do it, it’s no wonder that trust between journalists and readers has been waning in recent years. Political division, echo chambers on social media and declines in industry revenue and staffing have also contributed to this problem, no doubt. But scrub all that away, and you’re still left with one central challenge: a lack of understanding leads to a lack of trust.
Public trust in the news media hit a record low in 2020, according to a joint study by Gallup and the Knight Foundation, when the share of Americans with no confidence in the news media surpassed that of people with at least some confidence for the first time in 40 years.
In fact, 51% of Democrats and 17% of Republicans — that means fewer than half of U.S. adults — say that news organizations in general “do a very or somewhat good job of reporting the news accurately,” according to a 2022 study by the Pew Research Center.
Yet when the Pew Research Center asked respondents about local news organizations specifically, 78% of Democrats and 66% of Republicans said local journalists do well at reporting news accurately.
The numbers speak for themselves: Local reporters rebuild trust between readers and the news.
And I plan to do just that, Lynchburg.
I’m Emma, your friendly neighborhood reporter (to borrow language from a fellow newshound).
But I won’t be a mystery like Peter Parker. You’ll see me at work, scribbling notes at community forums and city council meetings, poring over books and records in the library or writing in downtown coffee shops. We’ll talk in the echoing halls of the Academy Center of the Arts, over the hustle and bustle of riverfront festivals and among the soft chatter of the Saturday farmers market. I’ll be here to listen: to your concerns, your challenges, your successes and your ideas.
So, as for the question, “What is it you actually do?”
I could type until my fingers cramp about how journalism is the cornerstone of democracy; how a free, independent press provides citizens with the facts and context they need to make informed decisions in a self-governing society; how local watchdogs hold political leaders accountable to their constituents; how journalists’ job to ensure that truth prevails has never been more critical; how Cardinal News, specifically, is strengthening Virginian communities that have historically been sidelined.
But my hope, instead, is that you’ll never need to ask me what I actually do. You’ll see it for yourself.
Let Emma know what you want her to cover in Lynchburg! Fill out this brief survey.
