Interview with Media Critic Eric Umansky

Eric Umansky used to write my favorite feature at Slate: Today’s Papers.  That feature does an excellent job of pointing out where reporters at the biggest newspapers excel and falter.

When I learned he had written this month’s Columbia Journalism Review article on the topic of media coverage of torture, I jumped at the chance to interview him.

The issue of torture is ripe for media criticism as there are some news organizations – I’m looking at you, Fox News – that report just what the Bush administration says while The Washington Post and The New York Times dig deeper. That wins them some criticism from those who prefer secrecy, but it’s important work that needs to be done. 

First, please tell us a bit about your background with the news media so readers can judge your credibility regarding these issues.

I never got formal training as a journalist, never worked at my college paper, and have never worked at a daily paper. On the plus side, I started in journalism about a decade ago as an intern as the lefty (but glossy!) Mother Jones. I was promoted to editor of the website, stuck around there for four years, then was an editor at the now deceased media criticism magazine Brill’s Content. Until last month, I wrote the Slate daily feature Today’s Papers where I summarized and critiqued the nation’s top five dailies (The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today).

How did you come to decide to write a piece examining the media's coverage of torture and abuse?

It was really the perfect intersection of my work over the past few years. I was steeped in press coverage — and doing plenty of criticism of it — through my Today’s Papers column. And apart from that, for the past year I’ve been writing almost exclusively about torture and detention issues. So looking at press coverage of torture was a natural for me — but naturally it didn’t occur to me. The wise and benevolent editors at CJR came up with the idea and approached me.

What do you think it is about the issue of torture that makes it so difficult for journalists to cover?

Article Author: Scott Butki

Scott Butki was a newspaper reporter for more than 10 years before making a career change into education... then into special education.

He reads at least 50 books a year and has about the same number of author interviews each year and, …

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