The news in 2017 is a cauldron of fake-news epithets, factionalized media and journalism under siege. This plays out against a background of continued disruption of the news media by economic, cultural, social and technological forces. Important democratic values are at stake, and those values are in very real danger. James Bettinger is director emeritus of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford. Previously he worked for 20 years as a newspaper reporter, editorial writer and editor. At Stanford, he taught courses in opinion writing, feature and analytical writing, and literary journalism. He writes and consults on journalism issues, and is a member of numerous journalism organizations.