R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. says, “Yet today a columnist is a godlike figure.”
This is a perfect example of an inflated opinion.
There are columnists I don’t like. There are columnists I do like. But I consider none of them “godlike.”
I knew Emmett years ago.
He is a talented writer, funny guy, and I was a big fan.
American Spectator was a great magazine during the early years of the Clinton administration. They were all over every Clinton scandal, did outstanding investigative reporting.
Then the Vince Foster “suicide” happened. For a couple of months they were on the case with their usual diligence. They had several great articles.
Then all of a sudden they stopped covering the story, started cracking jokes about “Foster conspiracy nuts”, and lost their determination to go after the Clintons.
The Clintons got to them, somehow, some way.
So, I cannot trust them at this point.
It would be a great research project to find out what happened with this once great magazine.
I believe his point is valid. So-called journalists/opinion-columists now believe their duty is to advance social evolution (progressivism) which align with their college instructors beliefs. Obviously, it's no longer about reporting news, but reporting their biased agendas. This goes as far back as Walter "Lost the Tet Offensive" Cronkite, of which he was wrong.
Somewhere, sometime back, I read that most journalists are some 77% registered democrats. Wonder what the percentage is today.
For those who don't who R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. is, he is one of the first who has always been on the money about biased journalism.