Reconnecting Roots

Announcer> Support for "Reconnecting Roots" is provided by the following: Muletown Coffee Roasters is all about slowing things down, digging into community, and encouraging good for goodness sake.

Taylor Stitch is responsibly built for the long haul and is proud to partner with brands that inspire hope for a more sustainable future.

Lems Shoes, everything we do is done with intention, and we will never stop our endless exploration to keep your feet happy and healthy every step of the way.

Discover more with less.

The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.

Through the generosity of our members and donors, the ETV Endowment has made it possible for programs like "Reconnecting Roots" to be shared around our state and the nation for more than 45 years.

Sharing a common passion for music and community in beautiful Paradise Valley, Music Ranch Montana's mission to support musicians and provide a place to enjoy it together is reflected in "Reconnecting Roots".

("Paperboy" by the Marvelettes) Extra, extra, read all about it Gabe> What's got more columns than the Parthenon and more scoops than an ice cream truck?

Journalism, covering, and uncovering, every aspect of life under the sun.

Rob> Thomas Jefferson said "that if you give me the choice "between government without newspapers "or newspapers without government, "I'll take the latter!"

Gabe> How the free press pushed American progress to new heights and shaped a national identity.

Paperboy (dreamy intro music) Gabe> I'm Gabe McCauley.

Join me as we explore the greatness of America.

Beautiful for spacious skies Amber waves of grain Purple mountain's majesties On the fruited plains We're home There's no place like home Home Home Gabe> Tracing the roots of progress from then to now and how, this is "Reconnecting Roots."

We're home Gabe> Kentucky, 1925.

Rival cave owners were in a fierce competition to develop roadside attractions during a period known as the Cave Wars.

Floyd Collins' discovery of Sand Cave brought tens of thousands of spectators before it was even complete.

But in this case, the attraction was Floyd himself.

While working inside, a boulder fell on his leg, pinning him in his own tourist trap.

A reporter, Skeets Miller, joined rescue efforts and due to a small stature, was able to reach Collins inside the cave, bringing him food and water, gathering updates, even conducting interviews, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize.

Miller's reports spread like wildfire.

Updates were carried by major newspapers around the country.

People came from all over to witness the spectacle, and some came to sell souvenirs and hamburgers.

The event showed how the American public is always dying to be the first in the know with real time updates, all while Collins was, well, actually dying.

(triumphant orchestral music) There's certainly no shortage of accessible news in America today.

With over 3,000 mainstream media newsrooms to choose from, it doesn't take much to hit the headlines.

And that's not counting podcasts, talk radio, blogs, social media, all the more non-traditional ways we get our news that are becoming more and more significant.

Even though our consumption of the news is changing, it doesn't appear that it's dying.

Three-quarters of young adults still check traditional news sources weekly, while also relying on social media for their information.

But as our news mediums change, one thing that won't is the right to create and consume it.

The freedom of the press is an American pillar and a beacon of human rights worldwide.

(mellow hip-hop music) Find anything good in there?

Rob Orchard> I'm looking at the funnies!

(both men laugh) Gabe> Well, then you did find something good.

Rob> I did!

Gabe> Rob Orchard is a British journalist and co-founder of "Delayed Gratification", a new magazine with a twist.

They cover stories months after they initially happen, practicing slow journalism, a counterpoint to the breakneck speed of today's news cycle.

Rob gave me the scoop on how American journalism has influenced not just the news industry, but nations around the world.

Gabe> What is it about free press in America that is so revolutionary?

>> When journalists in the rest of the world talk about the heights, the glory days, it's all stories about the US.

It's the stories about, you know, Rolling Stone commissioning people to go off for three months and them inventing an entirely new style of journalism in gonzo journalism.

And, you know, like, this is the place with the innovation and the thought and the talent and so on.

There were all these landmark moments that took place here that then had ramifications for the rest of the world.

So, you know the, Associated Press bringing in these ideas of objectivity and impartiality, these came out through kind of the wires and then through Columbia School of Journalism.

Names that conduit, like Watergate and so on.

So a huge amount, and it seems to me that it's been quite a beacon, you know, American journalism, for people across the world.

A lot of people across the world live in regimes and nations where there's no history of a free press and they look longingly at a nation where it was actually written into the Constitution.

Thomas Jefferson had this famous thing where he said, "If you give me the choice "between government without newspapers "or newspapers without government, "I'll take the latter!"

That's a pretty bold statement, right?

And then you've got this freedom of the press, freedom of expression built in.

It's a super powerful idea, and it's an idea that needs defending because it's not an idea that is necessarily, like, widely applied across the world.

Gabe> One thing that a free press offers is a diversity of voices.

You have the opportunity for someone to say things against your own government.

What good does that do?

Rob> I think it's absolutely fundamental.

At its best, it can be a release valve for tensions in society.

And one of the great things about the internet has been that it has broken the stranglehold of a small cabal of mainly White, mainly male journalists and editors in London and New York basically being, like, the medium through which all news is processed and it's opened it up to everybody.

Everybody who's got, like, a brain and a smartphone can now participate.

That's really, really exciting.

For journalists also, this digital revolution has been extraordinary.

So you can now contact people who have been in the heart of the stories on the other side of the world and you can just kind of look them up on social media, get in touch, and interview them.

That has never been available to any previous generation of journalists.

You can conduct research, you know, in kind of the furthest reaches of libraries in a matter of seconds, when before you'd have to physically go there and talk to somebody and wait and, you know, get the books out.

You can also reach audiences around the world in a way that was never possible before.

You know, you can sell your journalism across the four corners of the planet.

I just love...I love the stories of it, right?

I love sitting down with somebody and talking with them and interviewing them and suddenly these really fascinating things emerge and you start to make connections.

I like writing a 6,000 or 7,000 word feature, like which kind of goes in, and grabs you by the throat at the beginning, and then takes you on this rollercoaster ride and hopefully it spits you out at the end with your worldview, like, a little bit changed.

But that's the best bit, right?

That's the most exciting bit.

Gabe> In 1735, the precedent for America's free press was set when New York printer John Peter Zenger was found not guilty of seditious libel against the colonial government.

Andrew Hamilton argued on his behalf that his publications, though critical of the government, were factually-based.

With this came the freedom for journalists to comment on, or expose, elected politicians whose behaviors could be seen to be against the best interest of the American public.

While not yet a law, the concept of the free press allowed public figures such as Benjamin Franklin to not only encourage, but urge his readers to participate in acts of rebellion.

This early press helped shape the shared identity of the American people before it became a nation.

Pamphlets were especially effective in doing so following the French and Indian War, when the colonists were being heavily taxed to pay off Britain's debts.

Colonists were able to not only vent their frustrations about the unfair taxes, but also rally others to enact real change on a number of things.

In 1791, the Bill of Rights was ratified, making freedom of the press the law of the land.

Only seven years later, the Sedition Act sought to limit that freedom by making it a crime to print, utter, or publish any false, scandalous and malicious writing about the government, a direct challenge of the freedom of speech.

Thomas Jefferson campaigned against this very un-American law and, after becoming President, pardoned everyone convicted by it.

(children cheer) The first newspaper by modern definition was the New York Herald, with a staff of beat reporters covering the city, Wall Street, even Congress.

This is when the inverted pyramid style of writing was put to use.

By putting the most important facts first, even if out of order, it protects them from being lost when long articles need to be cut short.

The railroad and telegraph were accelerating the spread of information across the US and in just a little over a decade, total circulation of newspapers more than doubled in a nation with a 90% majority literacy rate.

Low-cost printing led to the Penny Press Era, making news more accessible to the poor and middle class.

The Penny Press also ushered in a new era of advertising, selling papers to an audience, then selling the audience reach to advertisers.

Joseph Pulitzer, a journalistic innovator, held the highest circulation numbers of any newspaper in the world and is credited with having comics, women's fashion, and sports coverage.

West Coast publishing giant, William Randolph Hearst arrived in New York as a challenger, willing to spend anything to take the number one spot.

Hearst had been known for sensationalism, but the exaggerations quickly turned into falsifications.

Pulitzer was sucked into this no-holds-barred approach to publishing, known as yellow journalism.

While Hearst's legacy includes war mongering, inspiring a classic Hollywood film, and a granddaughter joining a Marxist terrorist army, Pulitzer gave an award in his name and an endowment for the first graduate school of journalism.

The response to the recklessness of yellow journalism was a new model that valued information over story.

Objectivity became the ideal for aspiring columnists in the 20th century.

Doris> Wow, I can't believe Wonder Guy saved all those people.

Rex> Yeah, that was a close call.

I thought for sure that train was gonna crash into the preschool.

Mark> Hey, Doris!

(triumphant orchestral music) Late lunch.

Doris> Rex, I want you to meet Mark Penned.

How's that story coming along?

Mark> Terribly, actually.

I'm afraid I might miss my deadline.

I've just had so much going on recently.

Rex> Say, Doris, any new leads on uncovering the secret identity of Wonder Guy?

Doris> Nothing I'd share with you.

I'm very close.

I feel like he's right under my nose.

Rex> Like right here?

In the newsroom?

Doris> You're funny, but think about it.

In a way, reporters are a lot like superheroes.

They're always first on the scene when trouble breaks out.

Oh, and they're smart, piecing together puzzles like a detective.

Mark> Right, they're objective.

They hold people accountable based off the laws we have, not whether we like them or not.

Doris> Yes, they'll treat anyone fairly if they're a good reporter.

Also, they remind us of our shared ideals.

Rex> Maybe so, but I know a lot of pressmen that'll take out a big guy, just to show they could.

You think that's why Wonder Guy does it, just to flex his power?

Mark> That's preposterous.

I fight for truth, justice, and the American way.

Doris> What?

Mark> (stuttering) As a reporter, I write for truth, justice, and the American way, and shared ideals.

Common good!

(music softens) Whew!

Rex> One day you'll figure it out and the world will know who Wonder Guy is.

And then we can all stop wondering, how did this guy come up with such a dumb name for himself?

Mark> It's not a dumb name!

Rex> It's dumb.

Mark> It's because of the wonders he can do, not because people keep wondering.

Photographer #1> Hey, Doris!

I set up a camera where you suggested and I got some amazing, spectacular photographs of Wonder Guy putting his disguise back on.

Mark> What?!

Hey, is that an evil computer man wreaking havoc in the streets?

(laser beam firing) Photographer #1> (gasps) My pictures!

Mark> Whoops!

Must have been nitrate film.

Doris> Well, like any superhero, Wonder Guy probably has a weakness that will be his undoing.

An Achilles heel, a sentimental attachment, an overweening sense of honor when fighting the unscrupulous.

Hmm!

(triumphant music swells) Mark> Writer's block..., that's my kryptonite.

(record reversing) "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan Come gather around people wherever you roam And admit the waters around you have grown And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone.

If your time to you is worth saving Then you better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin' Comes writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide the chance won't come again And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin And there's no telling who that it's naming For the loser now will be later to win For the times they are a-changin' Comes senators, congressmen Please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway Don't block up the hall Oh, he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled The battle outside ragin' Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin' Gabe> The formation of press associations and journalism schools gave a sense of legitimacy and prestige to a field once ruled by a raconteur spirit.

But despite these academic echelons, print journalism was already on its way to becoming old news.

The first radio news broadcast covered Election Day in 1920, allowing real-time results without having to wait for the next morning's paper.

Radio news broadcasts were also delivered for free over the airwaves.

Reports became even more sensationalized by incorporating more senses into the storytelling.

Television combined sights and sounds with reporting in full color, while freeing consumers from having to actually read.

The press modernized in similar fashion with new journalism, publishing nonfiction stories written in a more dramatic, novelesque style and shedding objectivity in favor of personalized storytelling.

The pinnacle moment of American journalism is considered to be the coverage of the Watergate coverup.

The journalistic enterprise of two reporters uncovered a scandal whose fallout ultimately removed the leader of the Free World from office.

(dramatic orchestral music) The 24 hour news cycle resulted from all-news cable channels pushing stories to air around the clock.

The pressure to be first to break stories on tighter deadlines began to lower the standards on sourcing, editing, and even content.

Weblogs further disrupted the news industry, with citizen journalists reporting to large, targeted audiences and with minimal overhead.

Within the past two decades, over 2,000 local papers stopped the presses permanently.

(soft dramatic music) Doris> Knock, knock!

Anybody home?

Mark> Hey Doris, it's been a while.

What brings you by?

Doris> Well, I didn't want to miss the final print edition, and here it is.

Mark> Yes, it's hard to believe, but after today, this will all be digital.

Doris> How has the transition been for you?

Mark> As a writer, I miss the pressures and regularity.

But that doesn't affect your reporting, does it?

Doris> Enterprise journalism is only for the self-enterprising and my stack subscribers allow me the freedom to choose the stories I want to cover, like the elusive Wonder Guy.

Mark> Oh, yeah!

Doris> So Mark, what's next for you?

Mark> I don't know.

As a reporter, I loved covering the news, but now the news comes to me around the clock.

I don't know how many times I wanted to just fly away from here and search for a little solitude.

Rex> Hey, everybody!

Just wanted to see for myself the end of an era.

Mark> Hello again, Rex Ruger.

Doris> Rex has some exciting news, developing artificial intelligence to generate content.

Help writers write, right?

Rex> Of course!

It's a new proprietary engine I've been involved with for years.

We call it Brain e-Hack.

Once it goes online, it's gonna control information around the world.

Maybe it'll help you with that writer's block, Mark.

Mark> (chuckles) Well, Rex, I can see through a lot of things, but you can never beat a super human reporter.

Photographer #1> Guys, check out this live video!

Some kind of unidentified flying object just entered the atmosphere.

(dramatic orchestral music) Doris> Found my next story!

See you, Mark!

Mark?

Gabe> With the meteoric rise of social media and our culture's affinity for instantaneous consumption, we're experiencing what has been termed truth decay.

Research by the Rand Corporation noted a "gradual and subtle shift toward a more subjective form of journalism."

Their report found overwhelming evidence of a return to the common use of opinion and subjectivity in the presentation of news.

This also meant a dissemination of fake news, which is nothing new.

Beyond this, we continue to see a kind of corporatization of the news, where profit motive decides what is news and advertising relationships determine story angles.

Do you think the free press today is the same as it was when it was first instituted?

Rob> No, it looks completely, radically different, but it's been kind of buffed in one way and another by technology and by economics.

And it's been driven by the internet and it's been driven by social media and now it's being driven by AI.

The problem comes, I think, where the sort of the model means that in order to cut through, one thing that you can do is be become more extreme in the views that you put out there, and suddenly you find that actually, instead of this pleasing diversity of opinions, everybody respecting one another, this town square thing, you turn it on and it's just people monetizing people shouting at each other.

And that's where civil discourse starts to breakdown.

Gabe> What's the big picture look like for journalism today in America?

Like, how does it affect us?

Rob> So it's changed radically, but then, of course, we've changed as well in what we want, how we consume things, everything being funneled through your smartphone.

So for years it was funded by people buying stuff, like, people physically buying a product, and the other part of it was advertising.

Then all of that migrated online.

Then we spent about 20 years as journalists and editors educating people that they could have content for free because we thought the model must be to monetize content through reaching as many people as we possibly can, and that turned out probably to be a flawed idea.

So now we're rapidly, desperately trying to teach people again that they need to pay for content.

They're like, "well, I can get loads of stuff for free."

And that has significant repercussions for society.

And across the US, you've got news deserts.

So you've got 200 counties where there's no newspaper.

You have these storied newspapers with this incredible history, you know, that used to have hundreds of journalists on the payroll and now, you know, they're being managed by, like, one man and his dog.

Gabe> So there's two words that get thrown around a lot these days, fake news.

Is it different today?

Rob> There's so much trustworthy stuff, but the problem is that because you are served up everything on your smartphone in exactly the same context, so if you're going through on social media, something that is, you know, kind of like complete misinformation is served up in the same context, the same format, as something from a trusted source like the BBC or the New York Times or whatever it might be.

(soft pensive music) Gabe> What would be the requirements for the articles within your publication?

Rob> What we aim to do is once every three months, you get this magazine through your door and you're like, "Yeah, great.

I can't wait to find out about those stories that I heard the first bit about, 'cause the rest of the news media were kind of on them nonstop for a few days, find out what happened afterwards, after the dust settled."

Those are the stories that tend not to get told because of this kind of like need to drive on for the new, like keep, keep, keep, always, always new.

Beginning of stories, but not the end.

I don't want to hear about a load of stories that the rest of the news media completely missed as well.

And what we hope is that you come out at the end of it thinking that you understand how the world works a little bit better and hopefully we've made you kind of laugh a bit along the way, all of these nice things.

Gabe> So this concept is slow journalism, taking the time to actually vet the sources to tell the whole and complete story.

How is that working for individuals in an age of shorter attention spans and everything just being faster, faster?

Rob> The faster and more overwhelming things get, that's a great marketing thing for us at the back end saying, "Do you know what?

"You don't need to go crazy with all this stuff.

"Take your time.

It's all right.

"If you miss stories, don't worry about it.

"We're gonna come back to them.

We've got your back."

I think the big thing is people realizing, and I'm certain that it's happening, but on a very broad scale, that if you don't pay for journalism, you get bad journalism.

Giving news organizations that you trust and that have proved themselves to be trustworthy over a long period of time and getting it right and then owning up when they get it wrong, giving them your money and your support is the number one thing that you ought to be doing.

(bright music swells) Gabe> Information is critical to our survival.

The free exchange of ideas, of reporting, of public accountability has allowed our nation to thrive.

And although it may be a lot to sort out the inaccuracies and mistakes, a free press guarantees our right to publish the sound of our voices and share our ideas with the world, and ultimately make self-governance a continuing success.

See you in the funny pages.

(gypsy jazz music) Aw yeah Lemme tell you like this What you know about it?

What you know about it?

I know all about it I know all about it Oh, you ain't heard, you ain't learned about the warning?

It's all good, I tell you about it in the morning.

Yeah, what you know about it?

What you know about it?

I know all about it I know all about it.

Oh, you ain't heard, you ain't read about the warning?

It's all good, I'll tell you about it in the morning Yeah, extra, extra Let me tell you It's right here in black and white Your eyes won't fail ya No, not that one, don't trust them fellas Never ever listen to the things they tell you But I feel ya though Just want the facts, yo But how you know you know what to do with those?

Let me give you guidance That's what we providin' And then after that, it's up to you what you decide And yeah, ain't it grand Everything you need is in your hand To know the facts in this beautiful land Stop, look, and listen Never seen a politician or ever heard 'em speak Just leave that to me Yeah, now you know about it Now you know about it You know all about it.

You know all about it And if you ever think the story gets boring You could get a new paper in the morning.

Yeah Go on, get something funky on the guitar (gypsy jazz guitar solo) (guitar solo continues) (song ends) (gentle music) (gentle music continues) Gabe> Connect with me, Gabe McCauley, and "Reconnecting Roots" by visiting reconnectingroots.com, where you'll find music, blogs, behind-the-scenes, and more.

Join our email list to stay reconnected.

(gentle music fades) Announcer> Support for "Reconnecting Roots" is provided by the following: Muletown Coffee Roasters is all about slowing things down, digging into community, and encouraging good for goodness sake.

Taylor Stitch is responsibly built for the long haul and is proud to partner with brands that inspire hope for a more sustainable future.

Lems Shoes, everything we do is done with intention and we will never stop our endless exploration to keep your feet happy and healthy every step of the way.

Discover more with less.

The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.

Through the generosity of our members and donors, the ETV Endowment has made it possible for programs like "Reconnecting Roots" to be shared around our state and the nation for more than 45 years.

Sharing a common passion for music and community in beautiful Paradise Valley, Music Ranch Montana's mission to support musicians and provide a place to enjoy it together is reflected in "Reconnecting Roots".

(bright music) (APT chime)