Michael Luo is the editor of the newyorker.com. We spoke to him about a piece he wrote on The Hutchins Commission which was formed during World War II to decide how the press could serve democracy during a period of intense political strife and distrust in the media. At the time tribalism was fueling division in the country, and the press was seen as further sowing discord. The piece was written for The New Yorker’s series on “The Future of Democracy” We spoke about the role of journalism in American democracy, the need for viewpoint diversity in media, and the future of media.
This is episode two of our ten-part series, Is that a fact? In each episode we’ll bring in an expert to discuss an aspect of our current information environment that is threatening the promise of American democracy. Visit our website for more information and find additional links on our guests.
Additional credit: Zoe Denckla provided research assistance and Miranda Shafer provided production assistance.
Is that a fact? is a production of the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit building a national movement to create a more news-literate America. Our host is Darragh Worland, our producer is Mike Webb, our editor is Timothy Kramer, and our theme music is by Eryn Busch.