The Concept of Media Accountability Reconsidered

Leaving It There? The Hutchins Commission and Modern American Journalism

“…It was an intellectual exercise, demonstrated by the composition of the commission, primarily academics from elite educational institutions (p. 138). It also called for accountability, but provided no guidance for attaining it (Plaisance, 2000).…”

Credibility as a Strategic Ritual: TheTimes, the Interrogator, and the Duty of Naming

“…If the purpose of news is to empower the public for public governance, news must not just be seen, it must be believed. This two-edged process, involving both what is sent and how it is sent (Plaisance, 2000), calls for the audience to pay attention and to trust for trustworthy reasons, rather than for ideological or personal attachment.…”

Trust and the Economics of News

“…However, if these mechanisms are considered to be ways to communicate with audiences and increase their access to information upon which to make judgments regarding media trust, they can Downloaded by [Northeastern University] at 08:17 20 November 2014 be valuable. If accountability is a manifestation of claims to responsibility (Plaisance, 2000), one cannot really define accountability without a theory of responsibility. The same goes for trust.…”

“…As with accountability (Plaisance, 2000), trust is a fluid and dynamic interaction between trustor and trustee with many elements. Moreover, for a trust relationship to work, the shared trust needs not be complete or exclusive.…”