Journalism has gone from one of the most respected and trusted fields to one of the most hated and divisive. The fourth estate has even been described by some as the “enemy of the people”. This newfound dislike couldn’t happen overnight, so what caused journalism to be put on the same level as used car salesmen, strip mall lawyers and Hydra? How many of their problems are self-inflicted and what can be done to solve them?

About the guest

Fredrick Batiste is a communications instructor at Houston Community College and Sam Houston State University. He also currently contributes to HBCUSports.com.Batiste graduated from Southern University and A&M College with bachelors and masters degrees before spending six years covering news and sports at the Hammond (La.) Daily Star. He earned awards for his news writing and sports columns while working in Hammond.Fredrick is currently the College Media Association’s vice president for member training.

A Louisiana native now living in the Houston area, Batiste seeks proper South Louisiana food without having to drive back home for it. A fan of professional wrestling, he jokes that everything is pro wrestling when you really think about it. Follow him on Twitter at @FredBatiste.

Fred’s Five journalism movies to watch

All The President’s Men: Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford dramatize Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward’s efforts to break the Watergate scandal story. I recommend watching it, along with “Frost/Nixon”, to get some fictionalized perspectives of the reports and the Nixon White House.

Added note: Woodward & Bernstein were keynotes at MediaFest 22, a joint convention of the Society of Professional Journalists, College Media Association, and the Associated Collegiate Press. I actually rode on an elevator of Bob Woodward, and the journalism nerd in me was in awe.

The Post: Washington Post’s tangling with the government over publishing the Pentagon Papers. Great performances throughout from an all-star cast, and they really captured the tension created by having a hot story that would put them in direct conflict with the government.

Zodiac: We’re all detectives in a sense, right? Another all-star cast. And a cat-and-mouse game between the journalists, police and the Zodiac Killer. The crazy thing that no one knows who the Zodiac is/was makes this even more thrilling.

Spotlight: All-star cast. Shows how important investigative reporting is and how hard it is. Also, it’s great to hear the actual reporters reflect on this stuff on YouTube.

Kill the Messenger: Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, not Hailee Steinfeld) stars as reporter Gary Webb, who finds the links between cocaine flooding Black and brown neighborhoods and military actions in Nicaragua. Then all hell breaks loose. It is through his reporting we find out who Freeway Ricky Ross is. Gary Webb is an American hero.

———
Honorable mentions:

Frost/Nixon
Almost Famous
Nightcrawler
Good Night and Good Luck

Credits


Music: Sensei by prazkhanal
Logo by D.Fu Studios
Edited by J Mack Media