Meditation and Psychedelics as Tools for Journalists

In the age of COVID-19, journalistic integrity is more important than ever. A global pandemic, a defiant president, and the prevalence of misinformation on social media have created a breeding ground for conspiracy theories, fear, and division. Journalists are tasked with seeking the truth and presenting it in a way that is both compelling and compassionate.

If journalism is to stay relevant in the Digital Age, reporters must find ways to recognize their own biases and work with them in ways that encourage healing rather than harm. Every person, including journalists, has opinions. The problem for journalists is when those opinions turn into presumptions and those presumptions guide their reporting.

In their book, Blur, journalists Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel stress the idea of “portable ignorance”. The term was used to describe Homer Bigart’s reporting on the Vietnam War. Bigart would approach a scene or interview as if he knew nothing about it. He freely asked numerous questions about any detail. Bigart was not afraid to ask questions that may have made him appear stupid or uninformed. He questioned every answer he was given. This quality allowed Bigart’s reporting to remain untainted by his own predilections or the opinions of others.

Blur does not mention if Bigart was born with this super-power or if he worked to cultivate it. Meditative practices and the use of psychedelics are two ways that journalists today might be able to develop their own portable ignorance.