Montgomery Fellow Al Hunt, the executive Washington editor of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones, analyzed the public's criticism of American media before an overflow crowd in 1 Rockefeller.
Hunt said journalists are an easy target of a cynical American public.
"Media bashing is as old as the Republic," he said.
Hunt said the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal changed the public's healthy skepticism into mass cynicism. Today many people criticize the media for sensationalizing news coverage.
Hunt used the O.J. Simpson trial as an example of sensationalism. The proposed balanced budget amendment and the Bosnian crisis were swept under the rug by the media, while Simpson's trial monopolized television and printed news, he said.
Hunt called the local television news programs "the greatest villains" of the sensationalist media, because of the excessive attention they give murder and other crimes.
"That's the marketplace," he said. "The media can either adhere to values or to the marketplace."
Opting for the latter often times leads to superficial coverage, said Hunt, who referred to the overreliance on polls by news programs.
Hunt used the New Hampshire primaries to illustrate how the public might adopt a tainted assessment of politics.
He said only 55 percent of voters felt primary coverage was adequate.
"Media coverage is at no time more important than with the presidential elections," Hunt said.
He said polls have an enormous influence on reporters.
Former presidential candidate "Lamar Alexander does well in the polls and gets more coverage the next day," he said.
Hunt said former presidential candidate Dick Lugar might have been better equipped for the job, though his poor performance in the New Hampshire primary shielded him from the spotlight.
Although the media is imperfect, the news is being covered relatively well, Hunt said.
"Concerned citizens have many more opportunities to be informed than ever before," he said.
Hunt said the new generation of reporters "are brighter and have considerably more expertise" than the old guard.
This has produced a sharp-eyed, strong-willed set of journalists, he said.
"Would any of you argue that Clinton received a kinder, more gentler press than Reagan?" he asked the audience, who overwhelmingly responded in the negative.
Hunt said the media equally pressures politicians on both sides of the political spectrum.
"Ideological bias is not a prevalent concern," he said.
This consistent scrutiny should remain, provided reporters shun sensationalism.
"We should not go easier, but ought to be more thoughtful and discerning," Hunt said.
Hunt said journalists will remain in demand, in spite of technological advances in information resources.
"The bottom line is that there is still a demand for good, solid journalism," he said.
When 95 percent of readers who pick up their papers at 7:30 a.m. already know about an event, it is essential that a story add meaning and foresight, Hunt said.
At the beginning of the speech, Hunt praised the College, saying he hopes children of Montgomery Fellows are favored in the admissions process.
Hunt has children aged seven, nine and 14.
Hunt said the many Dartmouth alumni who have made their mark in the field of journalism are a testament to the College's fulfillment of its mission.
