RTDNA Ramping Up First Amendment Efforts

Dan Shelley knows that responsible, honest journalists are under heavy fire, and he wants to enlist the public to draw some of it away.

Shelley, the former SVP of digital content strategy for iHeartMedia, who takes over from the retiring Mike Cavender as executive director of the Radio Television Digital News Association this September, is working with a new First Amendment Task Force inside the organization to help do that. It plans to meet with leaders of TV and radio station groups at the NAB Show April 22-27 to set priorities and public messaging.

In this interview with TVNewsCheck‘s special projects editor, Michael Depp, he talks about the strong stand that the task force is looking to make against assaults on the First Amendment and press access to government. He says honing a public message to that end is among the top priorities, along with emphasizing the particularly important work being done by local journalists.

An edited transcript:

Generally speaking, how do you see the threat level facing the First Amendment and press freedom at this moment?

We’re forming our Voice of the First Amendment Task Force because it’s clear over the last couple of years that there has been an unprecedented attack on responsible journalism from all over the political spectrum, from all parts of the country, because of the increasingly divisive environment that exists in our country today.

Because things have become so polarized, responsible journalism has really taken an unfair hit. And so that’s why in conjunction with radio, television and digital news industry influencers and executives, we’re making what we believe will be a very strong stand in defense of responsible journalism and to help the public understand better why it matters in their lives.

Media companies are doing, by and large, an outstanding job of calling the balls and strikes, keeping their noses down and not backing down when confronted with resistance from government officials and folks who don’t want the public to know the real story. In many cases [journalists are] risking persecution, prosecution and jail time to make sure the public has access to the truth and knows what’s going on in their communities.

To what extent is President Trump a factor?

It depends on whom you ask. Every time he or one of his surrogates uses the term “fake news” to counter a responsible news story that they just don’t like, it certainly doesn’t help our reputation with people who tend to believe as they do.

It’s certainly a significant portion of the issue, but that in and of itself is not a problem. For years, the news media have not been held in the highest esteem, probably since the days following Watergate.

What are the task force’s priorities?

Priority one is to work with members of our industry to make sure that they help us hone our message so that when we go to the public we can highlight responsible journalism on the national and particularly the local level because so many times all of the news media gets wrapped up in the same package with the same bow on it. That includes local journalists, who are exposing issues and problems that otherwise would not see the light of day. That exposure leads to solutions in many cases.

Sunlight always is the best antiseptic for corruption. RTDNA pledges to do a much better job of highlighting examples of where that works. We have always been a very strong voice and fierce advocate of the First Amendment and FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] issues.

With public mistrust of the media at an all-time high, how can the public be better enlisted to stand with the news media? What can media companies be doing more aggressively there?

We are fairly deep into the process of formulating plans to make sure that members of the public understand that when the local TV, radio or digital journalist is asking hard questions, it’s not because they want to be difficult or belligerent in any way, it’s because they want members of the community to know what’s going on around them and shed more light.

What’s the message that the public needs to hear vis-à-vis press freedom?

The message they need to hear is that all journalists are doing their jobs, sometimes at great risk to themselves, to make sure that members of the public are part of a more informed and educated society that will help them make even better decisions and tangible improvements in their communities.

President Trump has flirted with revising libel laws in his tweets. What’s the appropriate response to those threats for now?

There’s only so much in reality that a president can do. There is no federal libel law. So it’s got to be a state-by-state basis. So wherever there is a movement in any state to change libel laws, that’s a big First Amendment problem for us, and we, along with other journalism organizations and leaders and influencers in our industry, are willing and prepared to fight those efforts as best we possibly can. That’s an extreme danger to the First Amendment.

Press issues were addressed last month at the Press Freedom Summit, which was organized by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the American Society of News Editors. RTDNA was a participant. What do you expect to come out of the summit?

Time will tell. That was among the great initial steps toward ensuring the things that I’ve been talking about. We were proud to participate in that and we look forward to doing many more of those things.

How can a coordinated effort among media companies best be maintained to put forward a united and consistent front?

We’re in the process now of working with a lot of industry leaders to get their input on how we can be of the best help to them in their local communities. I don’t want to list specific strategies or tactics right now because we’re still in the process of aggressively seeking that input and guidance from industry leaders. They’re eager to work with us to help spread the word that this is not something that people should take lightly.

How can the tech industry be an ally for the press on freedom issues?

The tech industry is already an ally in many practical ways. Just as technology has made the lives of everyday Americans better and easier and has opened new doors to easier access to more information, it is helping journalists do the same. The tech industry can continue to play a very important role by developing new technologies and improving on existing technologies to help us as journalists do our jobs better and to help the public get access to more information.

What do you hope to achieve in your meetings at NAB? What’s the best possible outcome there?

The best possible outcome is that we leave Las Vegas with a very strong sense from leaders of our industry as to how they think we can help them best in getting the word out to the public that what they do is critical to a more informed and educated society. From that, we will develop a specific strategy and blueprint for how we’re going to aggressively move forward to advocate on behalf of the First Amendment and to advocate for media access.

Many of these legislative, regulatory and public relations efforts will take money to implement. Where do you expect the money to come from?

I don’t want to get into specifics at this point, but I can tell you that we’re exploring a number of opportunities for funding to help us ensure that this effort is successful and resonates with the intended audience, which is [composed of] members of the general public and leaders of our industry. It’s a bifurcated approach here.

We have to reach out and make stronger connections with leaders of the industry. The other fork is the public advocacy and outreach that I’ve spoken about. We’re actively seeking sources of funding and we’re going to make sure that we have what we need to be a potent force in this very critical debate. It has never been more important for this effort to occur.