One thing I believe is important is for dairy farmers to keep current with the media conversations and portrayals of agriculture. A recent article in TIME magazine is an example of a “must-read” story for all dairy farmers.
Bryan Walsh, author of TIME Magazine’s cover story “The Real Cost of Cheap Food,” admitted in an AgriTalk interview that the story took the angle he wanted to pursue rather than presenting both sides in a balanced, objective manner. Walsh’s article was highly critical of U.S. food production. Walsh said it’s been a trend at TIME to have “more stories angled toward the point of view of the writer.”
“Rather than just doing the sort of story where you do 50 percent on one side, 50 percent on the other, you allow the writer to look at it and make some of his own judgments,” Walsh said. Read the full transcript of Walsh’s interview with Agritalk host Mike Adams.
Walsh’s comments should be taken very seriously by those of us involved in agriculture. Such a flippant attitude toward his craft as a reporter and the subjects he is assigned is obviously concerning, but Walsh and TIME are hardly alone in today’s ultra-competitive media industry.
Read Greg Henderson’s, Drovers editor, full comments here.