Mark Tapscott

Episode 98: “Fact-Free Journalism with Mark Tapscott and Brian McNicoll”

Last month Atlantic ran a hit piece on President Trump that was notable, even by today’s low standards of journalistic practice, for its invisible sourcing.  It remains news because it typifies the realities of our increasingly fact-free media environment. “It’s based on four anonymous sources and has in addition the strange sideshow of other media outlets ‘confirming’ the anonymous sources” says my guest, veteran journalist Brian McNicoll.  “It’s a classic illustration of how to do bad journalism that destroys the credibility of journalists,” emphasizes Mark Tapscott, a member of the Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame. Join me in a clarifying conversation about how the standards of what’s called journalism have eroded over the years.  How today’s reporting compares to the Watergate story.  How the distinctions between “opinion” and “news” have become fainter and fainter. Why the Society for Professional Journalists no longer plays the role of trusted guardian. And more. As Brian McNicoll concludes,  “There’s a reason why only about 12% of Americans trust what the media says.” 

Episode 96: “Making a Difference: HillFaith” with Mark Tapscott

“If you wanted to aim at the heart of the matter to bring about a more virtuous Washington DC where would you start? For Mark Tapscott, the award winning investigative journalist, editorial page editor and founder of HillFaith, the answer is clear: share the Good News of His Gospel with congressional staffers on Capitol Hill. “If you were asked, who’s the most influential but least well-known group in Washington, DC, if you really understand how things work in this town, you would say immediately, ‘Congressional Staff.’ There are about 20,000 of them. They are mostly young men and women, highly educated, very motivated, and very smart.” Mark, a member of the Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame and recipient of the CPAC Conservative Journalist of the Year, explains further: “I knew that God was calling me to some sort of ministry and I kept coming back to the fact that virtually everything I’d done in my career included, directly or indirectly, contact with Members of Congress and especially with Hill aides.” “They have a passion for public service and […]