BOZEMAN, MONTANA, UNITED STATES, January 8, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The importance of the press really goes back to the founding of the nation. If we're going to govern ourselves and not be governed by others, we've got to be educated and informed. That’s the role of journalism and the press: to help us to be capable of self-governance.

Franklin Schurz Jr. is the Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Schurz Communications Inc., a media holdings company that publishes the South Bend Tribune and 11 other daily papers.

With close to three decades of professional experience in the publishing industry, Schurz served as president of the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association, the Hoosier State Press Association, the Chesapeake A.P. Association, and the Institute of Newspaper Controllers and Finance Officers.

He has been Editor and Publisher of both the South Bend Tribune in South Bend, Indiana, and the Morning Herald and Daily Mail in Hagerstown, Maryland. Schurz also spent time in broadcasting, serving as President of WDBJ Television, Inc. Roanoke, Virginia; WAGT Television, Inc. Augusta, Georgia; KY3, Inc. Springfield, Missouri; and WASK, Inc. Lafayette, Indiana.

Now retired, Schurz reflects on a career of sustained excellence in the publishing industry.

“The sense of community was really what you made it,” recalls Schurz. “Numbers were not that important, just some common geography, common schools or culture. That’s what bound a community together.”

Unfortunately, the culture of ethical journalism has been replaced. Today, a story on social media can go viral well before any of it has been independently confirmed by any legitimate sourcing. The way people consume news currently creates a false sense of what news is, how a news story is presented and what's important to readers.

“The vetting of information on social media is almost nonexistent, but and that's where a lot of people, particularly younger people, get their information. So they don't know that they're not informed,” says Schurz. “There isn't that critical thinking that's necessary to read a news story and decide for yourself.”

Still, Schurz is hopeful we can preserve the role of the press, newspapers and radio stations across the country.

“The press has to earn it,” says Schurz. “It has to in essence justify its existence but that's going to change with technology and the audience. So we've got to be flexible and adapt to those changes, but I also think we need to reestablish what we value before we can start thinking about the future.”

CUTV News Radio will feature Franklin Schurz in an interview with Jim Masters on January 10th and January 17th at 12pm EST

Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio

If you have any questions for our guest, please call (347) 996-3389

Lou Ceparano
CUTV News
(631) 850-3314
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook