Traditional journalism is pretty simple, really. If you’re writing about a complex issue, make sure to include all of the sides. For example, most political stories usually involve two sides. A good reporter will include both sides in their fair and balanced story and then let the readers decide whom to believe. If the journalist only includes one side in their story, it’s not journalism, it’s advocacy…which should be avoided.
No one should know this better than the Associated Press. The news service was founded in 1846, 15 years before the start of the Civil War. During the AP’s vast 180-year history, they’ve had a bit of experience producing good journalism, at least until now, it appears.
AP reporters Josh Funk and Claudia Lauer published a story Thursday titled: “Amtrak may make it easier to bring guns on its trains despite the alleged attempt on Trump’s life.” Quite frankly, it needed a bit of work.
Their story only includes comments from one side in the issue — John Feinblatt, whom the reporters only identified as the “president of the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.” The AP reporters never bothered to mention that Feinblatt is also president of the Trace, which is paid to produce anti-gun agitprop, or that both anti-gun groups are funded by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Certainly, these omissions would have helped Funk’s and Lauer’s readers put Feinblatt’s comments into better context.
Feinblatt, of course, used the AP story to further erode our Second Amendment rights.
Just days after a man took an Amtrak train to Washington with a shotgun and pistol and tried to assassinate the president and other federal officials, the Trump Administration is trying to open the floodgates for firearms on every Amtrak route, while also moving to hollow out the agency responsible for enforcing gun laws and preventing gun trafficking. This will only make Americans less safe and Congress must step in before the next tragedy.
A pro-gun rights voice could have pointed out Feinblatt’s dual anti-gun roles. Or that millions of riders have safely carried firearms aboard Amtrak for years. Or that Congress has far more important things to occupy its time than turning trains into yet another anti-gun zone.
Funk, who was evidently the lead reporter, didn’t return emails seeking to interview him about his story. Unfortunately, that was expected, since the AP isn’t nearly what it used to be.
Since the mid-19th century, the AP served a vital role for newspapers, but no lon ger. Print readership has tanked. The two largest newspaper chains in the country — Gannett and McClatchy — both dropped the AP in 2024. The third largest newspaper firm, Lee Enterprises, announced it will be dropping AP at the end of this year.
Just last month the AP let it be known last month that it was offering buyouts to a large number of its U.S. staff. They didn’t publish the number of staffers who would be losing their jobs, but the Newspaper Guild said over 120 people had received the offers.
Takeaways
One thing is certain: There will always be a market for factual and accurate reporting, but by publishing only one side of an important issue — with layoffs looming — the Associated Press may get what it richly deserves.
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This story is part of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project and is published here with their permission.