TV anchor and veteran reporter Soledad O’Brien has one word for the state of journalism in America — “messy.”
O’Brien discussed the matter, and the larger role of the First Amendment in the Trump Era, on Monday at the inaugural Be Conference is in Austin, Texas.
“I really believe journalism is going to go through a trying time, and come out the others side. Most journalists I know feel like they’r being tested,” she said. “It’s hard — I think that you have a public that’s really struggling to distinguish between fake news and real news.”
O’Brien said many outlets are waking up to serious journalism again, now that a veneer of civility between the office of the President and the free press has crumbled.
The former MSNBC and CNN contributor, now host of the web series “Matter of Fact,” sat in conversation with TheWrap’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman.
Watch the conversation live below.
The BE is a special gathering of influential women in Media, Entertainment, Entrepreneurship and Technology.
The two-day event offers networking, workshops, panels and mentor sessions with top industry executives, thought leaders and creatives in a first-class setting for networking, mentorship and ideas.
Speakers will include LinkedInCMO Shannon Stubo; Author and Media Strategist Wendy Sachs; Co-founders & Co-CEO’s of WERK Annie Dean; and Anna Auerbach; Jesse Draper, Founder, Halogen Ventures; Sarah Avins, CDO, NY Presbyterian Hospital; Eddie Bauer guide and mountaineer, Melissa Arnot; Andrea Razzaghi, Deputy Director of Astrophysics at NASA and many more.
The BE is a joint creation of TheWrap and the Mom 2.0 Summit. The event is hosted at Austin’s Omni Barton Creek Resort and Hotel.