Dear Reader,
IT SEEMS LIKE WE’VE SPENT FAR TOO LONG TALKING AT EACH OTHER LIKE THIS. And how has that worked out for you, regardless of where you sit on the political or social spectrum? Do you feel like a more involved citizen? Do you feel you can trust the government, or even me? We need a better way, because we’re in this together and we all share responsibility for making this state and country a better place. This is not a Pollyanna post-election “Why can’t we all just get along?” message. After two jarring presidential election cycles, our differences are deep, and clear. But we can either throw in the towel and put up higher walls, or work together to find common cause to improve our communities, state and country. At MLive, we are striving to do the latter. And we do it with the best tool we have – our journalism and our choices on where to direct it. In the past year, we have poured our energy and resources into telling stories of dire environmental problems; about a crisis facing our mental health system; about social justice and race issues. And of course, everything that the coronavirus has brought into our lives – the economic fallout on people and businesses; the effect on your child’s education; the health implications; the public health policies and how they have caused a backlash across the state. Moving forward isn’t agreeing on a policy agenda. It’s understanding that we need credible information in order to operate a free society. We need to question decision-makers, but we need to do it on the basis of fact. And then we need to not just publish their answers, but report on the effects and fallout of these decisions. Trust is a big element in making this work. And right now, I understand that’s a big ask. So many people right now have lost trust in traditional institutions in America – government officials, the political establishment, law enforcement, the media. Many people don’t objectively consider what they’re being told. They are discounting it altogether or replacing it with an information source of their choosing. They follow alternative websites, newspapers paid for by political factions, or social media channels that clearly are espousing one point of view. We at MLive are accused of bias all the time. If there’s any consolation, the criticism comes from both liberals and conservatives. I often tell readers who make this complaint to show me the MLive.com article that is biased, and in return they tell me about a Washington Post syndicated piece that ran in one of our papers, or an opinion column. It’s rarely one of our news stories. That, in part, played into our decision this year not to endorse in the presidential election. We are going to stick to news reporting, not opinion, to stand apart from disinformation, misinformation, conspiracy theories and spin. All of that static makes our editors at MLive more determined to seek fact, perform public service journalism, and tackle issues that face ALL Michiganders. That shared view of problems facing all of us, and what we can do to solve them, is one way we can start to understand one another. I welcome continuing this discussion with readers who want a better way forward. Send me your ideas, concerns and suggestions at editor@mlive.com, and I will devote a future column to dialogue with you.
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John Hiner Executive Editor Vice President of Content Mlive Media Group
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