We have no shortage of opinion in our news media. That is not in itself a bad thing. Opinions, when they are well argued, fact-based, provocative and — please — diverse, are a valuable part of our news diet.

What we lack is reportage: detailed description by a journalist who has observed an event, issue, dispute or trend first-hand, and who sees their main task as telling you what happened, how and why it happened and what effect it had. Basic reporting. And we lack it most on regular day-to-day news...