Jelani Cobb, the dean of the Columbia Journalism School, said it’s been “very difficult” at Columbia as the university faces intense scrutiny over agreeing to a set of conditions set by the Trump administration in order to regain $400 million in federal funding.
“We’ve been kind of under a particular kind of spotlight and we’ve been assaulted and assailed from various directions,” he said on Boston Public Radio on Thursday.
Due to his position, Cobb said he is bound by confidentiality on certain matters, but he emphasized that all decisions within the university have involved internal debate and disagreement.
“There’s a wide array of opinion about everything that we do there,” Cobb said. “Every single step that we’ve taken … there’s been internal debate and back and forth.”
Columbia’s concessions have drawn criticism from some who view them as capitulation to political pressure.
“I understand why people have the criticism that they have,” he said. “That’s probably about the best I can say.”
Cobb also addressed the recent dismissal of Sewell Chan , executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, who was let go after staff complaints. Cobb stated the decision had “absolutely no relation” to politics.
Also on Thursday, Cobb spoke at the GBH Media Summit on a panel about building trust and transparency in journalism.
He has concerns about the current climate for journalism in the United States, citing political pressure and declining trust in the media.
“We’re seeing these unprecedented attacks from a presidential administration,” he said on Boston Public Radio. “If our response to all of them is to duck or to find ways to pacify the administration, then it makes it that much easier for the administration to impose its will upon other types of media organizations.”
Cobb acknowledged that some journalists, particularly international visa holders, are pulling back due to fear of retaliation. “I’m not making judgments. … This is a case-by-case basis,” he said.
Cobb challenged journalists to earn trust through radical transparency.
“We should ask the public not to trust us,” he said. “We should show our work. Like the ingredient label on food, you know exactly what it is you’re consuming.”
By offering open access to sources and documents, Cobb argues journalists can counter misinformation and disinformation more effectively. “When people say we just made it up, we can say, no — we’ll show you … replicate all of this yourself.”
Despite Cobb believing that there are a lot of barriers to journalism, he believes reporters are still committed to their work.
“People still come to journalism school,” he said. “They believe in the power of the press to make a positive impact.”
