Jill Abramson and Jane Mayer make case for journalism as pillar of democracy
Two veteran journalists see their profession and the nation at an inflection point, with no less than democracy at stake. Amid efforts to discredit the media, the spread of fake and misleading political stories planted by foreign operatives, and a rise in threats and actual violence targeting reporters, Jill Abramson and Jane Mayer say it’s time for journalists to fight back, making sure the truth is louder than lies. Abramson ’76 is a senior lecturer in Harvard’s Department of English who was the first female executive editor, managing editor, and Washington bureau chief at The New York Times. Mayer is an award-winning investigative reporter and staff writer for The New Yorker and is its chief Washington correspondent. Mayer and Ronan Farrow co-wrote the magazine’s story about Deborah Ramirez, a Yale classmate of Justice Brett Kavanaugh who accused him of sexually assaulting her at a college party. The accusation played a central role in...