If Superman Can Teach Us Anything, Fearless Journalism is Needed More Than Ever

Musings on public media and the future of journalism

As I write this, the United States Senate has voted to cut $9 billion in public media funding nationwide. The bill will return to the House, where a final vote is scheduled to take place in the next few hours.

I grew up listening to NPR in the car with my dad, and KALW was our local station. The summer before my senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to intern at the station, where I met and learned from the faces behind the voices I had listened to every morning for years — my celebrities. It was an experience I’ll never forget, carved into my memory not only for its impact on my growth as a journalist, but also my understanding of the value of public media.

When we say “journalism”, people’s minds tend to associate it with trending headlines and big stories broken at places like the Times or the Post. This is not to discredit them for what they do; however, if we rely solely on corporate media, which covers such a broad spectrum, rather than local news, we run the risk of becoming disconnected from our own communities.

Without local public media, that disconnect can and will happen, plunging communities — particularly rural ones — into uninformed confusion during events that have a direct impact on them, like local elections. Furthermore, the prospect of journalism trainings — such as the internship I had in high school — that nurture the next generation of journalists is at risk.

Now, as the future of public media sits on the chopping block of the Trump administration, it’s become apparent that this poses a grave danger to the future of fearless local journalism.

When I went to see the new Superman last night, I had heard mostly about the thinly veiled nods to the war in Palestine, tech oligarchs, and themes of imperialism. And yes, all of these were present, but what stood out to me perhaps the most was the role of journalism in and amongst all of these things. It is, after all, the exposé that Lois Lane breaks for the Daily Planet that leads to the downfall of the once righteous and powerful, now disgraced billionaire Lex Luthor.

One of the final scenes — Lois dictating the article for her colleague to transcribe, cool as a cucumber, despite the future of the planet hanging in the balance — stood out to me.

Tragically, there is no Superman or team of heroic metahumans coming to aid the people of Gaza. But there are ordinary people — like you and me — with the same abilities as those fictional journalists. Just people with a civic duty and a set of morals rooted in impactful and fearless storytelling. I know it’s corny — and I’m sure I am coming across as a superhero dork, which I am — but I truly believe it.

So, consider this a call to action: fight for your right to remain informed about your communities. Support your local radio station and local independent journalism.