Eyewitness To the Changing News Media

Veteran journalist and professor Lee Thornton shares her views on the erosion of public trust in the news media and the role of journalism education in repairing that image
By Ronald Roach

More than ever, the American news media are under public scrutiny for the way individual reporters conduct themselves, for how news coverage on major events is carried out and for the balance media organizations purport their news coverage to have. Journalism professors know all too well the devastating impact that cases of individual journalists fabricating lies and resorting to plagiarism in their work can have on the media's credibility. Nonetheless, it's not surprising that journalism schools in recent years have renewed their efforts in teaching journalism ethics.
Dr. Lee Thornton, a veteran journalist and a University of Maryland journalism professor, talks to Black Issues about the controversies that have not only shaped overall public perception of the American news media but have made household names out of a few discredited journalists. Her discussion also highlights her award-winning public affairs show, "Front and Center," which is produced by the University of Maryland. In one of the few television shows that has journalists commenting on the news business, "Front and Center" showcases Thornton leading discussions with the most recognized figures in American journalism about the news media's performance.   
Currently, Thornton holds the Richard Eaton Chair at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. She joined the faculty in 1997. She also has held faculty positions at Howard University, Ohio State University and the University of Illinois. As a journalist, Thornton has many years of experience, including stints as a CBS News White House correspondent, a senior producer at CNN, and a correspondent and producer at National Public Radio.
A native of Leesburg, Va., Thornton has earned degrees from Teachers College in Washington, D.C., Michigan State University and Northwestern University. She began her broadcast career as a reporter-anchor-producer for WLW-TV in Cincinnati. Thornton
resides in Bethesda, Md.