The Metro

Devin Scillian on his career, attacks on the media


Listen Later

News media has changed a lot. In just the last decade, people have more access to information than they have in human history. 

That’s changed the state of journalism. And in the last eight years, some journalists and scholars say news outlets — like CNN, the New York Times and NPR member stations like WDET — are under attack. President Donald Trump has labeled the press the enemy of the people and has been attempting to discredit the things we say — making it harder to tell truths that are inconvenient to those in power. 

Devin Scillian shares these concerns. He’s best known for being an anchor at WDIV-TV. He held that position for nearly three decades, retiring last December. Before that time, he won multiple Edward R. Murrow Awards. And this month, he received a “lifetime achievement award” from the Society of Professional Journalists. 

He joined The Metro live from the Mackinac Policy Conference to discuss where the media is at now, the ways it’s been under attack, and what journalists need to do to meet viewers where they’re at.

"In the same way that voting is a responsibility for being an American, I happen to believe that being informed is a responsibility of living in a Democratic society," Scillian said. "Information is the most precious resource in the world. You can have all the petroleum, diamonds, gold, silver, copper...if I can have information. I just think it's the most vital resource that courses through the veins of the world."

Scillian also touched on the importance of consuming news responsibly by maintaining a well-balanced media diet and avoiding echo chambers.

"We can live in a silo if we want to, but it's the equivalent of sitting down and just eating caramel corn for every meal — I'm not sure it's a great idea," he said. "Everybody should be availing themselves of a lot of different news sources every day."

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The MetroBy WDET

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

2 ratings


More shows like The Metro

View all
On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,169 Listeners

Marketplace by Marketplace

Marketplace

8,637 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

37,849 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,091 Listeners

Invisibilia by NPR

Invisibilia

21,671 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,358 Listeners

Code Switch by NPR

Code Switch

14,541 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

55,899 Listeners

It's Been a Minute by NPR

It's Been a Minute

8,945 Listeners

The Indicator from Planet Money by NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

9,500 Listeners

America Dissected by Incision Media LLC

America Dissected

4,486 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,397 Listeners

The Detroit Evening Report by WDET

The Detroit Evening Report

6 Listeners

MichMash Politics by WDET FM

MichMash Politics

12 Listeners

The Sam Sanders Show by KCRW & Sam Sanders

The Sam Sanders Show

516 Listeners