Reading “The Thought of Postwar Japanese Journalism” (Part II): “Are you a businessman or a journalist?”

Using modern US journalism as an example, this article examines how decision-making within organizations comes into conflict with journalistic ethics. Intervention in the editing of a program about a CBS whistleblower and concern over litigation risk are presented as examples of factors that influence the practice of journalism. External pressure and the survival of the organization were intertwined in the background to the producer protagonist's decision to cut the segment.

With Ed Murrow's remark about “the right hand and the left hand” as its central theme, the article introduces the compromises and conflicts faced by organizational journalism. It highlights the reality that while reporters seek to preserve the original purpose of journalism, their day-to-day work also includes tasks they have no choice but to accept. It examines, through specific examples, how individual ethics and organizational policies can be reconciled.

Against the background of the Pentagon Papers case, the White Rainbow Incident and the current restructuring of the media industry, the article outlines how corporate leaders' decisions can affect the independence of the press. It explains how the government and regulators, acting as “weapons” through such factors as the Graham family's decision and the FCC's regulatory authority, affect press freedom and the ease with which journalists can report.

As new challenges arising in the modern AI era, the article raises concerns that reliance on AI may lead to the misuse of both-sides reporting and centrism, and examines the relationship between strengthening the judgment of reporters and editors and maintaining their independence. It asks how journalism's agency should be protected in an AI-assisted reporting environment and identifies issues to be shared with readers.