[INSPRATIONAL MUSIC STING] - We're joined once again by Dr. Keith Strudler, who is Dean of the School of Communication and Media at the Montclair State University, my alma mater.

Good to see you doctor.

- It is a pleasure to be here, thanks for having me back.

- You got it.

Real quick, 30 seconds or less, what is the School of Communication Media at MSU?

- School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University, is a comprehensive school where you can become well-versed and expert in anything from, filmmaking and animation, to sports media, to journalism, to comm studies, advertising, and everything in between.

We are one of the only such places where you have everything from an agency to a sports network, to a streaming platform, all under one roof, where students get their hands dirty, and we help them to reach their fullest potential.

And most importantly, the School of Communication and Media.

will become next year, the College of Communication and Media, which just affirms our growth and our commitment to this discipline.

- It has been said by Jeff Jarvis, who, you know, Jeff is a media scholar, he is been talking about these issues over the years.

We're engaged in a, quote, "A totalitarian coup", that the administration right now, the Trump administration is trying to crack down and control media that they do not like, if not eliminate us.

You say, overstatement, accurate, what?

- I think yet to be determined.

I mean, I think the intentions are clear, perhaps the question is whether it's feasible.

So yeah, I think it's pretty obvious that they want to control the narrative.

Now, to be fair, he's not the first president that's wanted to control the narrative.

And of course, in fact, you know- - Richard Nixon comes to mind.

- But there are many others.

- Absolutely, - Absolutely.

And look, as some accused Obama of wanting to having a tight lid on the messages to get out.

- Absolutely.

- Right?

But, never before has this been in, have we seen this intentionality, and clear crossing of what we assume to be bright lines.

And what you start to realize is those bright lines are just words on paper.

So, I don't know necessarily if we can say for sure that's going to happen, but I think maybe part of the more chilling parts of this is there seems to be an acquiescence of people, in positions of leadership.

So, when Jeff Bezos kind of comes along for the ride, - Jeff Bezos, "The Washington Post", and we'll talk about the LA Times in a second.

They have folks who own those media and, those media entities who have a lot of money.

When you say acquiesce, Keith, what do you mean?

- Look, when you decide that a newspaper is going to limit the kinds of opinions and editorials that are gonna be part of their pages, because, seemingly of a relationship and intentionality of national government, your self-censorship kind of does the work for them.

And I'm not saying that there's an easy answer to this because, certainly the newspaper industry has been cash strapped for some time, but, so, it's a lot easier for there to be kind of the end of a free press when we seem to be walking ourselves into the gallows.

- Let's talk about self-censorship.

So, those of us connected to public broadcasting, we don't, we're not officially a part of public broadcasting, but we're partners with our partners in public broadcasting.

So because the FCC, and the chairman there have made it clear they're investigating public broadcasting, NPR, CBS, what should we be doing, Keith?

What is smart business for us?

Should we not be having conversations that are somewhat questioning, and if someone comes on as critical of the administration, or is that bad business and dangerous for us?

I mean, what should we be doing?

- I think the answer is fundraise.

No, but it's in all seriousness, because in so many ways, it does come down to the financial wherewithal to be able to continue to operate your business.

And particularly if the federal government's threatening to take money.

- You said for private money.

Private money.

- Yep, absolutely.

Which is getting even, which is challenging as well, because there's a chilling effect on donations when the federal government makes it clear that they're not particularly fond of public broadcasting.

Look, I don't have a better answer than probably anyone else, because in the end of the day, when you are speaking truth to power, you are making yourselves vulnerable, particularly when you're reliant on those resources to continue your business.

The only thing I've heard this from someone much smarter than I is, I think, I think everyone in positions of authority, and in positions of, you know, news makers and so forth, need to be careful about the fights they pick, and how they engage.

And so, I think there is a responsible way to do journalism and then there is an antagonistic way of doing it.

And so I think, perhaps more than ever, it's really important to rely on facts, to not go looking for the fight.

And don't I mean that as, kind of cowering from from power, but I just think there's smart journalism that probably is really important.

Look, I think the other elephant in the room is, regardless of the reporting that happens in public broadcasting or otherwise, you know, it is the avalanche of mis and disinformation, in social media and so forth, that's making even that good work more challenging in today's environment.

So there's- - Well, stay on that Keith.

I'm sorry for interrupting.

If someone says, listen, I get my information from an influencer from social media, so I don't need Adubato, I don't need, and it's not me, I don't need public media, I don't need legacy media.

I'm getting all the stuff I need from the sources I count on, because they tell me I'm right.

What's the problem with that, in a larger small-d democratic society, Keith?

- Yeah, it's really tough when the echo chamber's that loud, right?

And so, again, there's no easy answer, and we all need Steve, so we know that, but- - We all need to be raising money, nonstop 24/7.

And you said, harder than ever, and P.S., sorry for jumping in here.

How the heck are you teaching the students who are going into this universe, and how much of it has to do with business and economics?

- Yeah, we're really, we're increasingly focused in all of our degree programs on the business of media.

And we really like to say, you need to know who's paying your paycheck, and where that money's coming from.

It's really, really important.

So, I think, look, you're talking about so many different ways in which the press and democracy is under attack.

Obviously, the simple answer, is it all comes down to education, right?

Because, in the end of the day, if people are better informed about where their news comes from and what mis and disinformation is, and how they can be more attuned to that, it makes it a lot easier.

But, that's much easier said than done.

And it doesn't necessarily happen at the university level.

These are things that need to be embedded in public school curriculums from genesis.

If a kid has a phone when he's four, you know, it's gonna be a lot too late to at 18 to be like, hey by the way, what you're seeing on TikTok may or may not be true.

So, I think that literacy has to happen at a young age, which again, is really tough when, not only is the federal government, kind of, meddling in media, but also in public school curriculum.

And, I'm sure you know, and as most of your viewers know, just even the discussion of disinformation has become a bit of a hot button word in- - Just talking about it, Keith?

- Absolutely.

- How is that a hot?

I got a minute left, how is that a hot button?

- I just think, because of the way in which, particularly in the last election cycle, when we were increasingly criticized for calling out the obvious, which is the results of the past election.

So, I think, even some work around what's mis and disinformation, gets called into the question by the federal government.

But I do think that is the answer.

The answer is people understanding, where their information is coming from, and what reliable news sourcing is.

- Last point, and Keith will appreciate this, we're involved in an initiative called Vaccines that you need to know.

And by the way, Stephanie Silvera, one of your colleagues at MSU, is an excellent public health expert, and she'll be part of that.

Why am I saying that?

Not a political point of view, it's not ideological.

They are facts.

That's science.

And if someone gets peeved at you for sharing important information about one's health, I'm not sure what's left.

I'm off my soapbox, Keith Strudler, that's not my job to express my point of view.

That is Keith Strudler who's doing important work with his colleagues at MSU, Montclair State University.

He's the Dean of the School of Communication Media, which will soon be a College of Communication Media.

Keith, thank you so much for joining us.

We'll continue our conversation about media leadership.

P.S., two of our best producers, some of our top producers come from MSU, they produce some great students.

Thank you, Keith.

- Thank you very much.

- You got it, I'm Steve Adubato.

I talked about how great we are in in public broadcasting, I wasn't sure it was the end of the show.

That's it folks, see you next time.

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