A group of nearly 50 people gathered at the Howe Sound Inn March 18 to hear a presentation on Leadership and the Media heard the guest speaker argue that the media should play no such role.
Claude Adams, broadcast journalism professor at the University of British Columbia's School of Journalism, was the featured speaker at a lunch hosted by Leadership Sea to Sky, a program of the Whistler Forum.
"I don't think leadership in a straight sense is part of our job," the former Washington bureau chief for several major newspapers and former chief European correspondent for CBC News said at the beginning of his remarks, citing H.L. Mencken's statement that journalism is a "permanent opposition" to the government of the day.
"We need strong, independent voices, but not leadership" from the media, he said, adding that the responsibilities of leadership could actually inhibit free and open discussion of ideas.
"A good media gives people the information they need to elect people who will lead us," said Adams.
He also questioned whether journalists, who do not have formal professional requirements to practise, are qualified to offer leadership. "Trial and error is the number one means by which journalists learn their craft," Adams stated. "Do you want leaders who learn by trial and error? I don't."
He also noted that public trust of the media is as low as that of politicians, citing a survey that found more than 75 per cent of Canadians believe that media coverage is influenced by outside sources and nearly 40 per cent believe that the media is getting in the way of solving problems.
"People are losing sight of the role of a free press in society," he stated.
Adams noted that there are about 200 accredited journalists covering national politics in Ottawa compared to some 20,000 accredited consultants, lobbyists and public relations workers, leading to more and more "agenda-driven" news and less enterprise reporting created by journalists.
He also cited the rise of citizen-led journalism through new media as a "fantastic" concept which changes the traditional concept of journalists and media outlets as "gatekeepers" to bringing information to the public.
"It democratizes the media," said Adams. "We are not in touch enough with our audiences. We think we know what they're talking about, but we're wrong."
Adams said he believes the media has a "social contract" with society to provide objective information in exchange for the freedom to do its job properly.
The Leadership Sea to Sky Forum is a program involving 15 leaders in business and government from across the Sea to Sky corridor who participate in monthly "learning days" and workshops on a variety of subjects. The participants also are required to complete a service project as part of the program.
Earlier in the day, participants in the program discussed community journalism and leadership with Tim Shoults of the Chief and Bob Barnett, of Pique Newsmagazine.
