I think it’s absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it’s called the Fairness Standard, whether it’s called something else – I absolutely think it’s time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves. I mean, our new president has talked rightly about accountability and transparency.
By all means, let's have a little transparency. Before you go anywhere with this "standard" of yours, prove that journalism is objective.You cannot do it, because even if it were true the absence of bias would be an unprovable negative.
And you cannot do it because it is provably false. Journalism openly follows rules such as "If it Bleeds, it leads" and "Man Bites Dog, not Dog Bites Man" which are easily justifiable but only from the self-interested perspective of the desire of journalism to make money.
Bad news is patently not in the public interest - but it is what interests the public. So without making criminal accusations, it is clear that journalism would profit if a bridge failed or a major crime were perpetrated or a hurricane hit somewhere and killed a lot of folks.
Not only so, but politicians have a powerful incentive to get on the good side of journalists, and conservative talk radio is notably critical of "bias in the media." So politicians who promote "accountability" of conservative talk radio programs - government control directly contrary to the intent of the First Amendment - must initially rebut the presumption that they are corruptly currying favor with journalists who are in a position to help them in return. Rather than nobly serving the public good as they pretend.
I’m kinda hoping Stabenow pushes this. Talk about galvanizing the base!
BTTT
You say this so clearly. You have changed my thinking about news so that I can’t even listen to most newscasts without thinking, “Why is this news? It’s not important to 99% of the people listening.”
Bill O’Reilly’s interview last night with Steve Kroft was instructive. BOR was impressed that kroft got so close to 0bama during the campaign. Well, big deal. He was allowed access as long as he showed 0 in a good light. 0’s team knew how to leverage the power of the press and the tv media.
Yet Kroft’s attitude on BOR’s show was that 0 had a huge uphill battle to get to the Presidency! It was surreal how these two talked about the whole thing. 0 had a free spokesman courtesy of CBS. Where’s the story in that, except that it was a complete breakdown of the vaunted “objectivity” of the press? Kroft might as well have been a reporter for Pravda following Stalin around.
Thanks for the ping/post. GRRRREAT thread! Thanks to every poster.