Christiane Amanpour on threats to journalism: Pursuit of truth is 'how we fight back'

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – In an age of low press approval ratings and a president who calls calls the news media the enemy of the people, the best course for journalists is just to do their jobs, Christiane Amanpour told writers at the Television Critics Association Monday.

"By continuing to put the truth out, that's how we fight back," said the acclaimed reporter, who will host "Amanpour & Company" on PBS (Sept. 10). "I believe we're in an extreme moment of existential crisis and threat (to) the profession, However, we're doing the right thing. We’re performing our duty as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. No other country has an amendment guaranteeing freedom of the press. … Without a healthy press, there is not a healthy democracy."

A hyperpartisan media has been around for decades, whether on Fleet Street in the United Kingdom or radio or cable news in the U.S., Amanpour said. But it's been "exacerbated now because of the exponential power of social media … multiplying these various views."

A larger concern is that people are being "funneled into their own echo chambers all the time. That is the real crisis of where we are now."

Amanpour says it's her job "to provide the unvarnished truth," but readers and viewers have a responsibility to search out accurate news sources to get a better understanding of the world.

"I believe we journalists have a massive responsibility to our viewers, readers, online users, (but) people can no longer hide under 'Where should I look?,' 'Where is the truth?' It's up to people to figure out where to go and it's not hard," she said, pointing to such organizations as PBS, CNN and The New York Times, "established brands who have spent decades polishing and perfecting the art of objective, truthful journalism."

The Emmy Award-winning journalist will host "Amanpour & Company" from London, joined by journalists Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan in New York. The show will focus on a variety of significant issues from the worlds of politics, business, technology, arts, science and sports.

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