James Rainey writes that Times-Pic reporters “have made their front porch the world’s. They have become the definitive news outlet for myriad journalists trying to understand this city, and an essential read for its displaced and far-flung denizens.
“Set against the cacophony of bickering local, state and federal officials, the 168-year-old newspaper’s voice has been clearly heard.
“The Times-Picayune exposed poorly constructed levees, picked apart obtuse FEMA policies, debunked overblown claims of evacuation center violence, and traveled as far as the Netherlands and Japan to show how other communities have coped with flooding and disaster.
“The newspaper’s success in the face of disaster raises a question: Are objectivity and dispassion in journalism overrated?”
I find that answer easy. Why are we trained to pretend we belong to some giant, bland, emotionless, news-producing machine? Why don’t we challenge that standard more often? I think we’d all be better respected — and, by extension, better read — if we fought the good fight more often.
Someone disagree with me.
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