Gray Ladies Down: Why believe the BBC and the New York Times?

American Outlook ^ | March 3, 2004 | Spencer Warren

[quidnunc]

The British government is now thinking the unthinkable, according to news reports: It is considering proposals to break up the BBC and revoke its hallowed independent status. This possible assault on one of the world’s leading news organizations is arising in the wake of an independent judicial inquiry’s condemnation of the Beeb’s shoddy news practices. Needless to say, such an independent analysis and investigation of a news organization is highly unusual; they, of course, are the ones who like to do the investigating. The startling conclusions of the judge, Lord Hutton, a retired lord of appeal (equivalent to a U.S. Supreme Court justice), also raise broader questions about the now widespread left-wing journalism that should be of interest to consumers of the leftist New York Times, as well as of other establishment news organs. For the events that precipitated the BBC investigation roughly coincided last spring with the Jayson Blair affair at the Times.

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Both the BBC travesty and the Jayson Blair fiasco at the New York Times illustrated how the two leading news organizations are infected with the same self-righteous, arrogant attitudes that are endemic to extreme left-wingers. After all, they are so compassionate for the oppressed of the world and they do “care” so much for peace and justice, so why should they be constricted by traditional standards of accuracy, balance, and the hard work of seeking out the facts? Years ago, in 1980, I was enrolled in the basic first semester course at our country’s leading journalism school at Columbia University, many of whose graduates today fill high positions in their field. Even then, I was amazed by the same attitudes amongst the students that we witness today at the BBC, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time magazine, the three television networks, CNN, and many more. And when the self-righteousness and arrogance are combined with the superficiality and ignorance of substantive issues that is so characteristic of journalists, the effect on public debate is lethal. (I remember well when, after Ronald Reagan’s election that November, Anna Quindlen, then an adjunct faculty member, opined that his landslide was a reaction against the social progress of the Carter years!)

Unfortunately, the Jayson Blair affair is now largely forgotten and most readers of the Times still take seriously the proud proclamation that appears daily on the masthead of the august Gray Lady: “All the News That’s Fit to Print.” If they read the Internet widely, they would not be so naïve, however. Jayson Blair was not an isolated problem but one that is endemic to the paper; this, and the other disgraceful practices and conduct listed below, are a product of the same traits that have ruined the BBC’s once proud reputation. Consider:

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[Aggie Mama]

Bump for later reading

[backhoe]

-The Old Grey Info-Slut... the NYT/Jayson Blair Affair--

[perfect stranger]

Se also:"The Old Gray Liar" by Ann Coulter May 14, 2003.