Where are the Woodwards and Bernsteins of 2025?
America needs journalists to investigate, dig and speak truth to power. And we all have a role to play in this form of writing to right the world!
I grew up in a household where The New York Times came home with my dad every single day. Sundays were a feast of sections spread out across the kitchen table, the family taking turns reading the most prized fold-outs: the Week in Review, the Arts Section, the Magazine and the Book Review.
No doubt all that reading of The New York Times is responsible for the ease with which I began my career as a reporter, writer and photographer at age 16, for my hometown weekly, The Berkshire Courier.
I’ll never forget my first day as an intern at the paper, when the editor sent me out on a story, his only instructions being to get a photo and find out what was going on. Where? At the former Alice’s Church, famous from Arlo Guthrie’s song and the movie Alice’s Restaurant, which had recently been sold to a new owner.
I got into my VW Squareback with my Nikkormat camera and my journalist’s notepad and went off to interview the new owners and find out what they planned to do with the old church. Mission accomplished, I came back to the office, sat down at the chunky DOS computer, and typed up my story. A few days later, it was published on the front page of the Courier, accompanied by my photo. Just like that, I was a journalist!
Being thrown into the job like that was a blessing. No one taught me how to be a journalist—I learned by reading the best and trying to emulate them. Somehow I learned the fundamentals of traditional journalism by osmosis, growing up reading The New York Times.
I went on to work professionally in journalism for a number of years, in the Berkshires, Connecticut and New York City, before taking the leap back into academe for my MA/PhD, which made a literature professor of me. But still, when I started teaching, it wasn’t long before I was teaching journalism—the way I’d learned it, by asking students to read a lot of good journalists and try to report and write to their standards.
Why am I thinking about journalism today?
Because I am so aware, in these tumultuous times, how essential good journalism is to the health of society.
We know that corporate media giants have driven most hometown newspapers (like The Berkshire Courier) out of business, consolidating “news markets” and suppressing dissenting voices.
We know that it’s not easy to make a living as a journalist, or a publisher—even so-called legacy media establishments like The New York Times feel the pinch, and the Washington Post was recently bought out—by Jeff Bezos, no less.
Social media is where it’s at these days, and I have been one who has celebrated “the democratization” of the media, as barriers to free speech fell and the age of citizen journalism began.
Yet now we see the vulnerabilities of such freedom, with social media constantly under assault from fake news and people are intimidated by vicious trolling.
Healthy societies still need professional journalists who can report what is happening with enough knowledge to provide context and analysis.
We need journalism to be “the fourth estate,” the watchdog that pays attention to what’s going on in politics, from town councils to statehouses to the US federal government.
In 2025 we need good, aggressive reporting more than ever. We need the next generation of Woodwards and Bernsteins to step up!
And we have them—but interestingly this time around they are not young whippersnapper reporters working for major newspapers, they are seasoned professionals—lawyers, professors, journalists, authors—who are stepping forward and using the power of free and freely accessed digital media platforms to go where the legacy media are too timid to follow.
Contrast the concerned but measured tone of this Sunday’s editorial board opinion piece from The New York Times with the outrage of the independent journalists and pundits whose posts flooded into my inbox this morning.
The New York Times Editorial Board: “American voters gave President Trump and his party the right to push forward the agenda he campaigned on. If the president wants to shrink the federal work force, end programs he disagrees with or revamp oversight, he has the license to pursue those efforts. Yet he must do so legally and by operating inside the system of checks and balances that has guided the country since its founding.
“The first two weeks into his second tour in the White House have seen so many lines crossed in the pursuit of his agenda that anyone who believes in the Constitution and honest governance should be worried: Many of Mr. Trump’s first assertions of executive power blatantly exceed what is legally granted. He and his supporters have sought to undermine those best positioned to check his overreaches of power. And he is moving to eliminate the tools of accountability in government in quick order….
“Mr. Trump is indeed testing Washington and the American people to see how far he can go in accumulating authority and in marginalizing anyone in a position to question his actions. It is a test the Constitution cannot afford to lose.”
Rebecca Solnit: “It is really hard not to catastrophize each piece of breaking news. The attack on civil service, which really means an attack on the systems that underpin our safety, economy, food and water supply, and the like, is closer to an act of war than a change of governing philosophy.
“If it isn't war, then it is so mind bogglingly stupid as to defy belief. It is equivalent to blowing up the supports of a bridge because you don't believe in gravity. I think sabotage is a much more believable explanation.”
Robert E. Hubbell: “This moment is particularly challenging because of the seeming impotence and cluelessness of Democrats in Congress, in state houses, and governors’ mansions across the nation. It feels like they do not understand the urgency of the situation. If they do, they are failing to communicate that urgency, mount a vigorous opposition, and inspire confidence in Americans yearning for leaders to lead.
“We must demand that our elected officials stop acting like this situation is “politics as usual” or that “There is nothing we can do about it because we are in the minority.” Such excuses are unacceptable and unseemly. Elected officials ran for office to be leaders. So, don’t complain that leading is hard when the chips are down. We know that. That is why we elected you. Step it up, now!”
The Contrarian: “Donald Trump famously declared that he would be a dictator on day one. History, alas, teaches us that dictators are rarely able to confine such ambitions to a single day. In these first two weeks he has mounted a sustained assault upon every dimension of American rule of law—to a degree never before seen at such a pace.”
Heather Cox Richardson: “Musk, who is an unelected adjunct to Trump, this evening gleefully referred to the civil servants in the government who work for the American people as “the opposing team.”
“But something jumps out from the chaos of the past two weeks. Instructions are vague, circumstances are chaotic, and it’s unclear who is making decisions. That confusion makes it hard to enforce laws or sue, although observers note that what’s going on is “illegal and a breach of the constitutional order.”
“Our federal government rests on the U.S. Constitution. The three different factions of Trump's MAGA Republicans agree that the government must be destroyed, and they are operating outside the constitutional order, not eager to win legal victories so much as determined to slash and burn down the government without them.”
Joyce White Vance: “The last thing we need with Trump in charge of a Justice Department that is willing to do his bidding and let him use the power of prosecution as a political tool.
“Friday night, there wasn’t much more than a whimper from the public. Americans didn’t take to the streets. Nothing like the pink pussy hats of 2016 was evident. Some people talked about how horrible it was, but for the most part Americans went about their business. It was a win for Donald Trump, or at least, it wasn’t the loss it should have been.
“Presidents are supposed to follow the law and honor their oaths. Bill Clinton was investigated while in office and interviewed by Justice Department lawyers. He was impeached. But he didn’t fire the agents and the prosecutors. Not Donald Trump. He is an anti-president who does not uphold the law, and there is no telling where it will end.”
Robert Reich: “The Trump regime will harm many innocent people. It already has. Its lawless cruelty is sickening — as is the cowardice of so many CEOs, Wall Street bankers, leading lawyers, university presidents, publishers, social media titans, Republican politicians, some Democratic politicians, and other so-called “leaders” who are staying mum or obeying in advance or sucking up to Trump.
“There will be a reckoning.”
All Americans who believe in social justice, human rights, equality under law, fair elections, a healthy environment and yes, an independent media—you are being called as citizens to follow the example of these brave independent journalists and SPEAK YOUR TRUTH as loudly as possible—to your elected officials (Democratic Party, where are you??), through letters to the editor in your hometown media, on social media, and on street corners.
Especially those who are older, who have professional authority and networks, who have been through crises before and, like Robert Reich, know from experience that the American experiment can and does withstand these periodic tests…now is your time to stand up and be counted. Be a model for all the younger people out there, who have grown up in such confusing, dizzying times and don’t know who they can trust.
This is a time for writing to right the world, for speaking truth to power, for asserting the right to free speech in America, supposedly a democracy of, by and for the people. Not just the rich people—all the people.
I believe it will eventually come to light how the MAGA people lied, cheated, stole and browbeat their way into controlling all three branches of the US government. I’d like to see journalists working on breaking that story NOW.
In the meantime, resistance by us ordinary folks is necessary.
Do your own Paul Revere moves, people. Now is your time—what will you make of it?
Yours in the struggle to right the world,
Jennifer
Come write and speak your truth with me in this powerful four-session Bioneers Learning online class!
In this hands-on class hosted by Bioneers Learning, we’ll look deeply at some of the major social and environmental issues of our time and consider how outstanding leaders have used creative expression to make a difference.
Inspired by these models, you’ll work on expressing your own ideas with confidence, clarity, and eloquence, in both writing and public speaking, coming away with a portfolio of writing, a recorded talk, and a circle of kindred spirits cheering you on.
Four Fridays, Feb. 28 - March 21, 2025, live online from 12 - 1:30 pm with recordings available.
To write and speak our truths, we have to recharge our creative fuel cells, right?
I’m leading three in-person retreats this spring, designed to help you ground, center and reconnect to your own creative spirit.
Read on for details, and come join me!
Meet me in Petaluma, California on March 30 for a daylong writing retreat!
Come on retreat with me and Birth Your Truest Story co-host Audrey Kalman along the Petaluma River in northern California. We'll write, share, grab lunch at a neighborhood cafe, and amble to the river for inspiration. Join us to:
Trace your inspiration back to its source
Follow the twists and turns of your creative flow state
Learn to ride the rapids of your creative life and float gently through the quiet stretches
Write together and share your work
Savor the group energy of our Birth Your Truest Story creative community
March 30, 2025. Early registration ($139) runs through February 28.
Meet me in Rowe, Massachusetts for a weekend retreat in the beautiful month of May!
Come on retreat with me in the budding springtime setting of Rowe, Massachusetts, where we’ll write to explore our deep connections with our Mother Earth, Gaia, as well as how the potent theme of mothering and nurturing has shown up in our lives.
Rowe is a magical retreat center nestled in the northern Berkshire mountains, with trails through mature forests bordering a tranquil lake. It’s rustic in a way that encourages communion with the land and camaraderie with the kindred spirits in our circle.
May 9 - 11, 2025. Sliding scale tuition and a variety of accommodations on site. I can’t wait to share this special experience with you!
Come Riding & Writing in Iceland with me in June!
Riding & Writing in Iceland!
June 2 - 8, 2025
The creative tonic of Iceland has to be experienced to be understood.
Come experience the body, mind and spirit glow that comes from Riding & Writing in good company in a beautiful place, warmly hosted by our friends Gudmar and Christina at Hestaland.
Click here to find out more and see beautiful photos from my past Riding & Writing trips to Iceland.
Friends, it’s my pleasure and my passion to support you as we stretch towards living our lives creatively and to the fullest.
The motto of my author consulting business is “Writing to Right the World,” and the motto of my book publishing business, Green Fire Press, is “Books that Make the World Better.”
If these intentions resonate with you and you are working on a book, or have one in mind, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Supporting creative people bring their work more strongly out into the world is one way I try to make the world better.
I couldn't agree more that the response to our emergency has been weak. I'm not even referring to the official response. People seem to be exhausted....Possibly by the pandemic. There will be awakenings. There will be voices but we will have to wait for them to emerge. Personally, I hate having to wait.
The Free Press is no longer free to report the facts free from financial and corporate influence: reporting now must take company policy into consideration as the primary driver not informing the public.
Woodward and Bernstein are both working today in many places around the world; the fact that their work is being lost in the noise of today’s media conglomerates doesn’t permit the facts to reach the public as easily and those facts must now compete for attention with alternate facts and lies or even pronouncements of facts by those in authority (see Trump blaming DEI for the plane crash).
Today’s coverage of any event is littered with too much editorializing and too little facts: just look here on Substack, at the most popular writers, who focus more on the messenger and less on the message.