On May 4, the Pulitzer Prizes recognized the very best in American journalism. Yet even as the industry celebrates its highest achievements, public confidence in the press is collapsing.

Gallup recently found that only about a third of Americans trust the news media to report fully and fairly – a historic low.

It is widely understood that Americans distrust the media. The phrase “fake news,” once a fringe term, has entered everyday vocabulary as a shorthand for that distrust.

I worked professionally as a journalist for several years and now lead the Collegiate Network at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, a journalism program that trains conservative and independent-minded undergrads and early-career journalists.

Over the past several years, I’ve observed that the crumbling trust in media is likely tied to a structural problem: a widening disconnect between the people producing the news and the people it is supposed to serve.

Talented students discouraged from journalism careers

The undergraduate students who run our network of more than 90 student newspapers are capable, smart and in genuine pursuit of the truth. However, I’ve increasingly found that many of the most capable and ambitious young people are choosing not to enter journalism as a long-term profession.

The reasons are not hard to understand. The industry is marked by financial instability and declining newsroom resources. For talented students weighing their futures, journalism appears too risky, so they opt for more stable careers in law, finance or........

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