By Emily Hughes

Live Wire Editor-in-Chief

Forum panelists (from left to right): David Farhenthold, Joy Reid, and Hugh Hewitt. Photo credit: “The Connecticut Forum” FB page.

American democracy is in danger of dissolution without a critically thinking citizenry and a courageous Congressional body capable of defending the homeland against adversarial agents, whether native born or foreign.

But ultimately, the press is a critical component fostering authentic democratic freedoms was the general consensus of the panel during “The State of Journalism & The News,” a Connecticut Forum Event hosted by the Hartford Courant Media Group. The event took place March 16 at The Bushnell Theatre in Hartford.

Moderated by John Dankosky, executive editor of the New England News Collaborative, and host of The Wheelhouse, a news roundtable program on WNPR, the panel featured three prominent reporters and writers embedded in the current news climate:

David Fahrenthold. Photo credit: The Connecticut Forum FB page.

The Washington Post political reporter David Fahrenthold, nationally syndicated radio show host Hugh Hewitt, and MSNBC host and author Joy Reid. All three have also appeared as commentators on MSNBC.

While the panelists at times disagreed about whether news consumers chose to listen to only news that speaks to them certain realities remain: news outlets need to make money.

During the first half of the forum they discussed the political climate in the news and how divided America has become and how people are afraid to voice their political opinions because of potential backlash from opposing views.

Joy Reid and Hugh Hewitt. Photo credit: The Connecticut Forum FB page.

“Nobody talks about politics,” said Fahrenthold.

The forum, also talked about the liberal bias and lack of awareness journalists may have of the impact their bias has on those who consume news, especially when it comes to consumers in the middle states and other conservative regions.

And on news shows with commentators such as MSNBC and Fox News there is a lack of candor.

“The media has had a hard time saying [the word] ‘lie,’” said Reid.

After a brief intermission, the second half involved questions submitted by the audience on notecards collected by ushers, by texting the phone number given to the audience or by tweeting to the forum’s Twitter page. Questions included their handling of the 2016 elections, particularly their thoughts on President Donald Trump’s win.

Each panelist conceded that, regardless of how they felt about the president personally, coverage of his actions is still relevant.

Reid compared covering Trump to living with an infant.

“You know, you sleep when they sleep and when they get up, so do you,” she said. “For example, Trump naps in the afternoon on weekends if he can’t play golf, but when that nap is over, he’s tweeting and we have to say to ourselves ‘oh, the baby’s up’ and get to work.”

Still, Fahrenthold said, now is a good time to be a journalist.

“…the nature of the [journalism] business makes [his presidency] an interesting mystery to unravel,” he said.

In closing, the forum members were asked about their advice for aspiring journalists. Hewitt urged people to “Read to be a reporter.”

Reid spoke about the importance of being objective when reporting.

“Be cynical and skeptical,” she said, “but not to the point it stops curiosity.”

The forum was one of four The Connecticut Forum ran during the 2017-18 season, but not the first to have media as its topic.

“Journalism and the media have been recurring themes at The Connecticut Forum, wrote Executive Director Doris Sugarman in a letter to attendees in the Forum program.