Inside this issue: PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff speaks on Universtiy of Missouri president objectivity and polarized media landscape criticized for intimidation, threats to by Amelia Blakely freedom of speech by Regan Mertz Can St. Louis Public Radio fix problems The broken heart of America: A review and regain its footing? and fact-check by Jack Grone by Paul Wagman 2020 • Volume 49 Number 358 • $8 CONTRIBUTORS NICOLAS GALINDO Nicolas Galindo was chief photographer of The News-Star, part of the PUBLISHER WILLIAM H. FREIVOGEL USA Today network, in Monroe, Louisiana. He is a photo mentor at the William H. Freivogel is a former editorial page deputy editor for the St. Daily Egyptian as he pursues a graduate degree at SIUC. Louis Post-Dispatch and contributes to St. Louis Public Radio. He is a member of the Missouri Bar. JACK GRONE Jack Grone is editor of McPherson, an independent journalism start-up EDITOR JACKIE SPINNER based in St. Louis. He is a former reporter and editor for Dow Jones Jackie Spinner is an Associate Professor at Columbia College in Chicago; Newswires whose writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal and freelance independent journalist specializing on the Middle East; former Barron’s. Follow him on Twitter at @McPherSTL. Baghdad Bureau Chief Washington Post. CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN DESIGN CHIEF ABBEY LA TOUR Christopher Heimerman is a former editor of the Daily Chronicle in Abbey La Tour is a copy editor and paginator at The News-Enterprise. DeKalb, Illinois, and freelance journalist covering media practices in La Tour is a graduate of SIUC where she studied journalism and the Midwest. He wrote the memoir “40,000 Steps” which details his communication design. She has previously worked at The Pulitzer war with alcoholism and the marathon he ran after rehab. He lives in Center on Crisis Reporting, American Institutes for Research, The Peoria DeKalb. Follow him on Twitter @RunTopherRun. Journal Star, The Daily Egyptian and Small Newspaper Group. You can find her on Twitter @LaTourAbbey. SUMMER HOAGLAND-ABERNATHY Summer Hoagland-Abernathy is a journalism and playwriting B.A. student at Columbia College Chicago, where, after a year as a copy ARTIST STEVE EDWARDS editor, she will take over the Opinions Editor position at the school’s Steve Edwards is a professional artist at Steve Edwards Studio. newspaper The Columbia Chronicle in the fall semester. Follow her on Twitter @shoaglanda. GJR FOUNDER CHARLES KLOTZER Charles Klotzer is the founder of the St. Louis Journalism Review. MEREDITH HOWARD Meredith Howard is a student journalist at Baylor University. She can be contacted at [email protected]. STUDENT MANAGING EDITOR MENGLU LIU Menglu Liu is a doctoral candidate at SIUC from the People’s Republic of China. Her research interests lie in the political economy of JOHN S. JACKSON communication. John S. Jackson is visiting professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute where he is a frequent contributor to local, state and national media coverage of government and politics. He was the 17th ASSOCIATE EDITOR ENOLE DITSHEKO chancellor of SIUC. Enole Ditsheko is a doctoral student at SIUC, author of “Wrestling Botswana Back from Khama”, a 2019 journalistic polemic about the ZACHARY JARRELL state of democracy in his homeland of Botswana. Zachary Jarrell is an Ohio-based correspondent who is majoring in journalism at the University of Cincinnati (UC). Along with his work at ASSOCIATE EDITOR OLOLADE AFOLABI Gateway Journalism Review, he is a contributor at The News Record, an Ololade Afolabi is a PhD Candidate at SIUC where she is researching independent student newspaper at UC, the editor and lead writer of The international communications in the Global South. She is the social Blazing Chronicle newsletter and a freelance music writer. media editor for GJR. She is from Nigeria. REGAN MERTZ AMELIA BLAKELY Regan Mertz is a senior Convergence Investigative Journalism major at Amelia Blakely is a Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate the Missouri School of Journalism. This summer, she was chosen for a where she studied journalism and philosophy. She was a campus editor fellowship to report for the Missouri Information Corps, a project by the and news writer for the Daily Egyptian and a student news producer at Missouri School of Journalism and the Missouri Press Association. She WSIU Public Radio. She is now a 2020-21 Campus Consortium Fellow is currently reporting on press freedom for MU’s Global Journalist and with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting in Washington D.C. You can science, health and environmental stories for MU’s Vox magazine. Regan is find her on Twitter @AmeilaBlakely. from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. JEFFREY LAYNE BLEVINS ISABEL MILLER Jeffrey Layne Blevins is an associate professor and head of the Isabel Miller is a photojournalist based in southern Illinois and will be department of Journalism at the University of Cincinnati. attending Medill’s graduate student program in the summer of 2021. She graduated from SIU where she was photo editor of the Daily Egyptian. BOB CHIARITO Bob Chiarito is a Chicago-based freelancer who has written for the EMMA SULSKI Chicago Tribune. He is currently covering the coronavirus pandemic for Emma Sulski is a senior at Loyola University Chicago, where she The New York Times, Block Club Chicago and Agence France-Presse. studies journalism and history. She has previously written and edited for Her Campus and The Loyola Phoenix. You can see more of her work at EmmaSulski.com or follow her on Twitter @SulskiEmma. KALLIE COX Kallie Cox is editor-in-chief of the Daily Egyptian student newspaper at Southern Illinois University. PAUL WAGMAN Paul Wagman is a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter and FleishmanHillard executive. He is now an independent writer, editor, and public relations counselor. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 The final act? 27 How Cincinnati news PUBLISHED BY: media reported a baseball School of Journalism College of Mass Communication and 6 PBS NewsHour’s broadcaster’s anti-gay slur Media Arts H.D. Motyl Interim Dean Judy Woodruff speaks on Jan Thompson, Director objectivity and polarized 28 Read Snyder v. Phelps if you think kneeling during BOARD OF ADVISERS: media landscape Jim Kirchherr, Don Corrigan, the national anthem is Lisa Bedian, Tammy Merrett, 7 Excerpts from Judy Rita Csapo-Sweet, Steve Perron, offensive to the military Eileen Duggan, Michael D. Woodruff interview Sorkin, David P. Garino, Rick Stoff, Ted Gest, Fred Sweet, 30 Reporter’s Notebook: William Greenblatt, Lynn 9 Illinois primary played Student journalists find a Venhaus, Daniel Hellinger, Robert A. Cohn, Michael E. Kahn, John pivotal role in elevating grieving city P. Dubinsky, Gerald Early, Paul Schoomer, Moisy Shopper, Ray Biden Hartmann, Ken Solomon, Avis 32 Another side of Meyer, Tom Engelhardt 10 Can St. Louis Public protests: Small peaceful The Gateway Journalism Review Radio fix problems and GJR (USPS 738-450 ISSN: 0036- gathering in Waco 2972) is published quarterly, regain its footing? by Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Journalism, 33 How coverage of the College of Mass Communication 12 University of Missouri coronavirus pandemic and Media Arts, a non-profit entity. The office of publication is system president criticized compares with the AIDS SIUC School of Journalism, 1100 Lincoln Drive, Mail Code 6601, for intimidation, threats to pandemic Carbondale, IL 62901. freedom of speech TO SUBSCRIBE: 35 ‘If the coronavirus is a 618-536-3361 14 The broken heart of gatewayjr.org/about war, Americans have picked Sign up for our weekly America: A review and fact- a team’ newsletter at gatewayjr.org. check SUBSCRIPTION 36 Foley Foundation RATES: 19 The broken heart of creates safety modules $20 — one year $35 — two years America: A response to for journalism professors $45 — three years Walter Johnson to help students covering Foreign subscriptions higher depending upon country. 22 Journalists urge re- pandemic, protests POSTMASTER: Please send examination of hate group address changes to: 37 Local governments use Gateway Journalism Review coverage pandemic to try to stall FOIAs Amber Easton — School of Journalism 1100 Lincoln Drive, Mail Code 24 Covering the LGBTQ 38 Community journalists 6601 Carbondale, IL 62901. community, and its haters should serve as fact- Periodical postage paid at 26 Media outlets checkers on national stories Carbondale, IL, and additional mailing offices. covering racial unrest in 39 GJR celebrates 50 Copyright © 2020 by the Gateway America need to include an years, honors St. Louis Journalism Review. Indexed in the Alternative Press Index. Allow one examination of their own locals with Whistleblower month for address changes. newsrooms and Freedom Fighter awards 3 OPINION Year four of Trump's assault on truth This is a series of opinions on President Donald Trump and his assault on the truth, written by Gateway Journalism Review’s publisher William H. Freivogel. You can read the series on our website. The final act? by William H. Freivogel The 2020 election and Trump presidency disenfranchise voters based on Trumpian Rights Amendment’s simple statement of are stress tests for American democracy fictions about voter fraud. Trump is even legal equality remains unfinished business and its first principles of freedom, equality planning to change reapportionment to base that will stay unfinished with another Trump and democratic elections. In our democracy, it on voters, not all people. term. an enlightened citizenry, informed by a free 3. Women’s Suffrage and the women’s 4. The Statue of Liberty’s invitation to the press, renders its judgment and a losing rights movement stopped schools from world to “Give me your tired, your poor, your incumbent peacefully transfers power to a firing pregnant teachers and employers from huddled masses yearning to breathe free” new president. paying women less. Advocates for LGBTQ gradually led to a nation of immigrants living The transfer of power has happened so rights won their own victories against sex up to the E Pluribus Unum motto on the many times we take it for granted.