Hajoon “HJ” Yun
Dr. Parrish
ISM II
4 Nov 25
ISM Assessment #7: Interview Assessment with Mr. William McKenzie
On October 15th, I went down to the SMU campus in University Park, TX to have a conversation with Mr. William “Bill” McKenzie, Senior Editorial Advisor at the George W. Bush Institute. With this interview being my first official interview of my ISM II journey, I was excited and looking forward to sitting down with Mr. McKenzie to discuss my field of study in political polarization and mass media.
When we first sat down, I got a chance to learn more about Mr. McKenzie’s role at the nonpartisan Bush Institute. As a Senior Editorial Advisor, Mr. McKenzie is delegated the task of working on initiatives that progress the Institute’s mission of strengthening American democracy. Currently, Mr. McKenzie is working on projects related to pluralism and reliable local journalism in the context of a healthy democracy. Through these projects, Mr. McKenzie is able to take a deeper look into how local journalism is still considered one of the more trusted forms of journalism that a majority of Americans still trust in. In a typical day, Mr. McKenzie spends a majority of his time working on his two projects related to pluralism and local journalism by conducting case studies that seek to push pluralism
When asked about how the Bush Institute maintains its place as a nonpartisan think tank in the heart of Dallas, Mr. McKenzie responded that the Bush Institute focuses primarily on policy issues rather than political issues. The main difference between the two fields is that policy deals with informing elected officials without advocating for a certain agenda. Politics is the elected office and people within the offices. Furthermore, the Bush Institute does not endorse nor train candidates for elected officials and instead stands as a reputable institution that elected officials from both sides of the political spectrum come to seek advice and get informed on issues regarding global healthcare, immigration and democratic safeguarding.
Moving forward to compromise and political polarization, I asked Mr. McKenzie how the Bush Institute is dealing with the rise of polarization in America. He responded that although we “...can’t help but know what’s going on in the world, it doesn’t change the issues we [Bush Institute] work on” (McKenzie). He also emphasized that compromise is still very much prominent in local levels of government. In today’s society, people focus too much on the negative news that stems from Washington and State Capitols across America. However, Mr. McKenzie pointed out that there really “...isn’t a Democratic or Republican way to fix roads” (McKenzie). This quote perfectly sums up how the rest of the interview went. For the remainder of our time, Mr. McKenzie and I discussed how compromise and the diffusion of truth are still pillars within this country that are necessary to defend. Within an America that is nearly evenly split between liberals, conservatives, and moderates, there exists an “exhausted majority.” This exhausted majority is where many Americans fall on the political spectrum, differing from what polls and data may show.
As the interview came to an end, I wrapped up the conversation by asking Mr. McKenzie about any advice he had for me, an aspiring documentarian, journalist and politician, about how to navigate the political world. He told me that if the journalism field wants to help end polarization, it must do three things: First, restore public trust in journalism. Second, remind people that journalism, and free press, is essential for a democracy to function. Lastly, journalists should be transparent and demonstrate impact on people’s daily lives. If these three steps are accomplished, the mass media can restore trust in journalism and help move the needle on cooling polarization in the political environment.
In conclusion, the interview with Mr. McKenzie made me realize just how essential journalism and storytelling is to ending political polarization in the United States. As I move on with my ISM II journey, I will strive to create a final product that not only exemplifies honest journalism, but also a product that gives multiple sides of the story and identifies both problems and solutions that can be quantified into a simple call to action for my viewers.