The Journalism Club

"It's a big club and you ain't in it."

When George Carlin peppered his standup routines with this now infamous punchline, he was referring to a basic tenet true the world over. In short, humans often organize into groups keen on excluding the masses. This phenomenon has gone by many names over the years: the in-crowd, blue bloods, the cultured class, nobility.

Journalism, a profession that prides itself on fairness, balance, and integrity, is no different. In many ways, it is the ugliest version of this trope in modern society. There are cliques abound for reporters willing to amplify the accepted narrative. Grants and awards of all sizes are available to approved individuals and outlets. Even in the informal sense, membership has its privileges.

Alternatively, anyone not invited into the fold becomes persona non grata. The establishment team refuses to accept independent spirits, no matter how truthful, impartial, and important their newsgathering might be. Still, that isn't enough. Card carriers seem to derive added pleasure from publicly embarrassing the unaffiliated, especially those who directly contradict them.

Outsiders will be labeled conspiracists. Their motives will be questioned. Their voices will be silenced. How low will the coterie go? Look no further than last year's total hit job executed by the prestigious Nieman Lab...

You would think a Harvard-linked foundation whose mission has been to "promote and elevate the standards of journalism in the United States" would expect the same from one of its own projects. Instead, they let the senior writer (and Lab founder) slam the far-better-known Epoch Times for gauging interest in the formation of a new journalism school -- you know, the kind of thing that, by its very nature, would promote and elevate the standards of journalism in the USA!

This columnist, a staunch opponent of capitalism, cannot hide his disdain for publications that challenge communist ideals. In just over 500 words, Mr. Benton finds a way to plant the following seeds in readers' minds using quotes he invented to conceivably trick the audience: conspiracy, misinformation, propaganda, far-right. Before he's finished, Benton makes sure to insinuate that The Epoch Times practices something other than journalism (pairing it with a diploma mill hint), thus burying any remaining credibility related to the mere idea of this educational venture.

Ideally, other members of the mainstream media would rush to The Epoch Times' defense and call out Nieman Lab's behavior for what it is. They didn't. That's not how clubs like this operate.

Note: the post above may contain commentary reflecting the author's opinion.

Additional note: the author and The DC Equalizer can probably stop applying for Nieman awards.