Edward Luce, Washington bureau chief for the Financial Times and author of "In Spite of the Gods," challenged the legitimacy of mass news outlets April 1 during a question-and-answer session with Elon students.
Luce talked about the national mass media, specifically The New York Times, Washington Post and Politico, as “having a lock on the White House.” He says those news organizations depend on access from sources for day-to-day coverage and often appease their sources by running soft news stories rather than asking the tough question audiences need to hear.
The Financial Times is an international paper that has seen circulation in Washington, D.C., grow from 5,000 to 25,000 in the last 10 years. The majority of subscriptions in Washington go to government offices.
“We’re in a sweet spot really,” Luce said. “We don’t need access every day. We get access but we don’t rely on access.”
Luce said the 24-hour news cycle is damaging the legitimacy of the news industry.
“Everyone has to follow the same trivial story,” Luce said. “It pursues the same question, no real underlying substance.“
Luce referenced election years when all major media outlets provided coverage of the same questions. He described the relationship between the media and politicians as a “dance of death.”
“Both become entangled with each other, both drag each other down,” Luce said. “Respect for public institutions, respect for media, respect for government” has collapsed.
Luce also addressed the failing business model of newspapers. He says while many are afraid the Internet will be the “death of newspapers,” he believes this will not be the case.
By Samantha King