. . . but then, they don't need to compare notes in real time. The cooperation is at a deeper level than that; these people are competing to entertain--and superficiality and negativity towards we-the-people and the institutions upon which we actually depend sells papers/gets ratings. They compete, but not in terms of accuracy and perspective. Their collusion is in terms of who they oppose--namely, anyone who undermines the profession's business model by committing conservatism (neither superficial nor negative). Such people are condemned as "not a journalist." Precisely why the author of a book is inherently less objective than a hipshooting journalist, they never say.We can get more objectivity out of the system by figuring out how to get more competition from its components - the different owners of radio and tv stations. Hence my mentioning anti-trust action.
Perhaps it would help if we said no individual, corporate or human, could own more than one tv or radio station.
I doubt it. The rules of the competitive game have to change, not just the numbers on the backs of the players.What distinguishes talk radio from other formats? Rush suggests that it is "the long form." If you don't understand Rush Limbaugh, and have a clear read on his character, it's simply because you don't want to. Being on the air unscripted for 3 hr/day, 5 days a week, for a decade is no way to hide your character. If your intellectual positions are not internally consistent it's bound to come out pretty quick--and that seems to be the foreordained destiny of liberal talk-show hosts.
The idea of the time delay is that Rush can play a "best of" show and have it make sense; 200-proof liberal journalism, otoh, depends critically on control of the agenda. If your show won't air for a week, you can easily be overtaken by events. You can't change the subject for a week. You are at risk of bragging how smart someone is for a week after he has made an utter fool of himself. That should make you a little more conservative.
And of course election day would be no big deal; you are not announcing the winner to the world but recording your reaction to events that your listeners already know.
Why Broadcast Journalism is Unnecessary and Illegitimate.