How journalism shapes—and is shaped by—American democracy.
The Objective examines the relationship between journalism, democratic participation, and power in the U.S.
The slogan
“Democracy Dies in Darkness.”
Journalism and democracy
The reality
“Supporting [D.C.] statehood would not be [fine] – that would be an expression of public advocacy on a matter we cover.”
About this project
Right now, at one of the largest and oldest legacy newsrooms in the U.S., you can say you believe in democracy, but you can’t publicly say you believe you should have representation in Congress. Journalism and democracy are intertwined, but if you’ve watched the way legacy and cable news have covered rising authoritarianism and attacks on voting rights in the U.S., that may no longer seem evident.
As part of its participation in Democracy Day, The Objective committed to taking a critical look at how democracy and journalism co-exist in the U.S., including democratic practices and anti-democratic trends. You can read more about our commitment here or read on to see what we’ve been up to since.
This initiative was graciously supported by:
Community Info Coop · Democracy Fund · Racial Equity in Journalism Fund · Indiegraf · Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University
With special thanks to:
Democracy SOS (Hearken) · Missouri School of Journalism
