Key Moments
Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron Delivers Address | Honoring the Harvard Class of 2020
Harvard UniversityKey Moments
Facts and truth are now matters of life and death, not just for democracy, but for public safety. An independent press is crucial for uncovering truth, but faces increasing global suppression and demonization.
Key Insights
Misinformation and disinformation, previously seen as threats to democracy, are now recognized as direct causes of death, especially evident during the ongoing global health emergency.
The history of the American press shows a long struggle against government censorship, from the first colonial newspaper shut down the day after publication in 1690 to the Alien and Sedition Acts and McCarthy era.
The Boston Globe's investigation into child sexual abuse by clergy, which began in 2001, revealed a decades-long cover-up by the Archdiocese and led to hundreds of stories, demonstrating the press's role in holding powerful institutions accountable.
Globally, 250 journalists were imprisoned by the end of 2019, with 30 facing "false news" charges, highlighting an alarming trend of suppressing independent media in countries like Turkey, China, Hungary, and the Philippines.
The pursuit of truth relies on education, expertise, experience, and evidence, but these are increasingly devalued and denied, undermining objective fact in favor of political gain.
Historical examples like the Pentagon Papers and Watergate demonstrate the critical role of investigative journalism in revealing government deceit and fostering national improvement through accountability.
Facts and truth are elemental matters of life and death
The speaker, Marty Baron, begins by emphasizing a shift in the urgency of facts and truth. While previously considered foundational to democracy, the current worldwide health emergency has elevated them to matters of life and death. Misinformation, disinformation, delusions, and deceit are now seen as direct threats that can kill. Baron asserts that progress is driven by science, medicine, study, knowledge, expertise, and reason—in essence, by facts and truth. He argues that an independent press, despite its imperfections, is essential for uncovering and disseminating this truth, and for holding government and other powerful interests accountable.
A long history of press struggles against power
Baron grounds his argument in the historical context of the American press. He notes that the first newspaper in the American colonies, published in Boston in 1690, was shut down by the governor and council the very next day, illustrating the press's long-standing adversarial relationship with official power. While progress has been made with the First Amendment, the nation has endured periods of suppression, including the Alien and Sedition Acts under John Adams, the Sedition and Espionage Acts under Woodrow Wilson, and the McCarthy era. It was only after witnessing the authoritarianism of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan that the U.S. began to more forcefully secure a free press, with the Supreme Court emphasizing its role in informing the public about government secrets and matters of public interest.
The Boston Globe's fight for truth in child abuse cases
Baron recounts his experience as editor of The Boston Globe in 2001, when a columnist began investigating accusations that a priest had abused up to 80 children and that the Cardinal knew about it but reassigned the priest. The Archdiocese initially called the accusations baseless. Faced with sealed court documents, the Globe challenged the secrecy order and launched its own investigation. In 2002, they published their findings, revealing the Cardinal's knowledge of the abuse and cover-up, which had enabled further offenses by dozens of clergy over decades. This investigative work, supported by abuse survivors and allies like Father Thomas P. Doyle, demonstrated the press's crucial function in holding powerful institutions accountable and bringing hidden wrongs to light, with effects that would "reverberate for decades."
Global suppression of journalists
The address highlights the alarming global trend of suppressing independent media and jailing journalists. By the end of 2019, a near-record 250 journalists were imprisoned worldwide, with 30 facing "false news" charges. Countries like Turkey and China lead in jailing journalists and imposing tight censorship. In Hungary, the Prime Minister's allies are reportedly taking over media outlets, turning them into propaganda machines, and new laws threaten jail time for spreading "false information," effectively suppressing inconvenient facts and accountability journalism. Similarly, in the Philippines, journalist Maria Ressa faces prosecution on bogus charges for her critical reporting.
The devaluation of expertise and objective fact
Baron observes a systematic effort to undermine the very idea of objective fact, often for political gain. Education, expertise, and experience, which are building blocks for determining what is factual and true, are being devalued, dismissed, and denied. This extends to discrediting traditional arbiters of fact, with the press topping the list, but also including courts, historians, scientists, and medical professionals. Government scientists, despite lifetimes of dedication, find their motives questioned and qualifications mocked, creating a dangerous environment where a common set of facts cannot be agreed upon, potentially leading to extreme tribalism and cynicism.
Journalists risking their lives for truth
The speech pays tribute to journalists who have risked and even lost their lives in pursuit of truth. Baron recalls Elizabeth Neuffer, who died covering the war in Iraq, and Anthony Shadid, who was wounded reporting from Ramallah and later died while reporting in Syria. He also mentions Jamal Khashoggi, murdered in the Saudi consulate, and the dangers faced by journalists in Mexico, where killings are common. Current reporters, photographers, and videographers continue to put themselves at risk alongside frontline health workers to share vital stories, underscoring the dedication required to be eyewitnesses and report facts as they are.
The indispensable contribution of a free press
Despite its flaws and mistakes, Baron argues that a free and independent press makes indispensable contributions to communities and the country. He cites examples such as the Miami Herald's reporting after Hurricane Andrew, which led to safer building codes; the Charleston Gazette-Mail's exposure of the opioid crisis; the Washington Post's revelations about mistreatment of veterans at Walter Reed; and the Associated Press's documentation of slave labor in the seafood supply chain. The New York Times' publication of the Pentagon Papers and The Washington Post's breaking of the Watergate scandal are presented as pivotal moments where investigative journalism led to profound national reckonings and improvements.
The pursuit of truth as a patriotic duty
Concluding his address, Baron connects the pursuit of truth to patriotism and the aspiration for a more perfect union, referencing W.E.B. Du Bois's caution against falsifying history. He urges the graduating class to embrace the arduous but essential pursuit of truth, not just for democracy but as a fundamental demand it makes upon citizens. He reinforces that truth is not a matter of power or popularity but is ascertainable through evidence and reason. Echoing Harvard's motto, Veritas, Baron calls upon the graduates to join journalists in this vital work, emphasizing that it is a journey that should never end.
Mentioned in This Episode
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Common Questions
In the current global health emergency, facts and truth are presented as elemental to survival. Misinformation, disinformation, delusions, and deceit can lead to deadly consequences, while science, medicine, knowledge, expertise, and reason are the pathways forward.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
A renowned journalist and thinker who warned of a society responding to opinions rather than truth.
Founder of the Philippines' largest online-only news site, facing prosecution amid government harassment.
President under whom the Sedition and Espionage Acts were enacted.
A Reuters journalist imprisoned for investigating the killing of Rohingya Muslim men and boys.
A journalist who reported from dangerous regions like Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, winning two Pulitzer Prizes.
President under whom the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed.
A Reuters journalist imprisoned alongside Wa Lone for investigating the killing of Rohingya Muslim men and boys.
Supreme Court Justice who stated the press was protected to bear secrets of government and inform the people.
A Harvard Nieman Fellow running an investigative reporting center, who noted the takeover of media outlets in Hungary.
Civil rights pioneer and former commencement speaker at Harvard who emphasized speaking up against injustice.
The Washington Post opinion writer murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for criticizing the Saudi government.
Championed the right to 'freely examining public characters and measures'.
Author of 'The Origins of Totalitarianism', who wrote about the establishment of lies as facts.
A priest who wrote to the Boston Globe expressing gratitude for their investigation into clergy abuse.
A Boston Globe journalist who died covering the war in Iraq, known for fearlessness in investigating war crimes.
Scholar and activist who cautioned against the falsification of history, particularly regarding the Reconstruction period.
Newspaper whose reporting after Hurricane Andrew highlighted failures in zoning and building codes.
The newspaper where the speaker began as editor in 2001, known for its investigative journalism.
West Virginia newspaper that exposed the flooding of communities with opioids, contributing to high death rates.
News agency that documented a slave trade behind the seafood supply, leading to the freeing of 2,000 slaves.
Mentioned alongside Nazi Germany as an example of authoritarianism that highlighted the importance of a free press.
Cited as a country where murderous vengeance against journalists is common.
Described as a country where the Prime Minister has attacked independent media and exploited the pandemic to gain power.
Mentioned for its tight censorship and high number of imprisoned journalists.
The location where Elisabet Weintraub died while covering the war.
Mentioned as a regime whose authoritarianism underscored the need to secure a free press in the US.
The location where Anthony Shadid was shot and wounded.
Cited as a country that has significantly suppressed independent media and jailed journalists.
The country whose officials were implicated in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
The city where Anthony Shadid was hospitalized after being shot in Ramallah.
Mentioned in the context of government harassment against journalists, including Maria Ressa.
The country where Anthony Shadid died while reporting.
Hospital where The Washington Post revealed shameful neglect and mistreatment of wounded veterans.
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