An Epistemic Role for Opinion Journalism

According to the informational model, journalism’s primary function is to provide the public with information and help it acquire knowledge and understanding. Opinion journalism appears to conflict with this model. Although it constitutes a major part of the news media, its role remains poorly defined, and many view it with suspicion. This article argues that opinion journalism serves an important epistemic function that is integral to the informational model: to facilitate appropriate uncertainty by helping audiences form epistemically valuable attitudes toward unsettled questions of public importance. I examine the multiple societal roles of opinion journalism—including policy advising and facilitating public deliberation—and highlight tensions that can arise in practice between these roles and the role of facilitating appropriate uncertainty. Finally, I suggest that greater transparency about both the epistemic status of the claims discussed in opinion pieces and the purpose of opinion journalism may mitigate these tensions.