Jon McTaggart, President and CEO of American Public Media Group, asks Bethel for a time of self-reflection
By Lindsey Micucci
The sound of cracking soda-pops and teeth sinking into Sodexo’s seven-layered bars occupied each table until Jon McTaggart, with poised glasses and the golden smile, demanded the Olson Boardroom’s attention.
The President and CEO of American Public Media Group challenged the audience to think about the importance of trusted journalism and the significance of seeking to understand instead of just wanting to win an argument in this age of polarization.
“How can shouting or retreating lead to an informed democracy?” McTaggart asked. “How can yelling at one another or refusing to talk with one another help us find the solutions that our communities so desperately need. Trusted journalism must be the answer.”
McTaggart spoke to an audience of 50, primarily of communication and journalism students and faculty. The symposium, “Media Civility in the Age of Trump,” took place at 5:00 on Thursday evening, April 12th, and was sponsored by Bethel’s Johnson Center for Journalism and Communication.
McTaggart shared his fear that society is at risk of losing its bearings for the sake of winning arguments. In a society where news channels and individuals all want to prove their points to win the argument, McTaggart called the audience to reflect on their own actions on social media, “You must ask yourself, am I trying to understand or am I trying to win?”
“I think it’s important to listen to [multiple] points of view,” Suzi Nelson, a journalism alumnae and an Administrative Assistant at Bethel University commented. “I try to be neutral because I have friends on both sides of the spectrum and I don’t want to alienate anybody because that’s no way to try to influence people.”
To combat the widening gap of polarization, McTaggart encouraged the audience to change their own social media habits by allowing civil dialogue with groups that have different opinions.
“We must use our head and our heart,” McTaggart said as he beseeched the audience to seek empathy and curiosity as informed citizens and journalists in this time of divisiveness.
“As thoughtful, compassionate, and Christian people, we must be the leaders. We must believe and prove that understanding is more important than winning, or we lose our bearings.” — Jon McTaggart, President and CEO of American Public Media Group
McTaggart also called on future journalists in the room to ask questions, dig deep for facts, and uncover the truth of the matter.
“There’s more to two sides of a story,” said Callie Schmidt, a journalism major. “Capturing that in-between [area] can help with the polarization of this country that everyone’s been talking about lately. We can do something about that as journalists by showing the diversity of thought.”
“As thoughtful, compassionate, and Christian people, we must be the leaders,” McTaggart closed by saying. “We must believe and prove that understanding is more important than winning, or we lose our bearings.”
The symposium also featured student works in short films from communication and in the award-winning newspaper Clarion and study-abroad Textura magazine from the Journalism Department. Students Katie Pope, Ryan Russie, Josh Towner, Sarah Nelson and Callie Schmidt shared their success stories when presenting their works.
