Is IT PRESS OR MEDIA?

This iconic photograph, as well as the now-famous meeting between President Nixon and Elvis Presley, wasn’t known to the public for nearly a year. That’s when the press got wind of it. Various versions of what happened, not all of them true, can be found on media. (See the photo elsewhere on the site for a factual, research-based account.)

“Press or Media?” is dedicated to providing insight into what professional journalists do. We want to draw a brighter line of understanding between “press” and “media.” In the process, we’ll note the good, the bad, and the interesting, and so can you. Opinions, questions and polite debate are welcome. Sourcing matters. Where you get your news matters.

Why now? The Fourth Estate is being challenged in ways we’ve never seem before. Part of the reason attacks have had some resonance is that people pile everything they see on cable news or read on the Internet into ‘media.’ We believe that’s contributed to a negative -- and inaccurate -- view of how journalists and quality news organizations work. The contribution of a free press is integral to the longevity of this country. It’s what sets us apart, still.

The difference: Members of the press are part of the media but not all media are press.

The media is a communications platform, whether print, broadcast or Internet. It consists of professional journalists but also bloggers, talking heads, pundits, paid partisans, etc.

The press consists of professional journalists, regardless of platform. Professional journalists abide by long-established standards in order to get the best version of the truth. They do research and seek verification as a matter of course. They state when they are wrong or even to clarify nuanced meaning.