May 20, 2008Toward better television newsThe New Yorker has a piece on Katie Couric's imminent departure from CBS News. I haven't bothered with network (or cable news, for that matter) for a very long time, so I read over most of the article. But I was struck by a suggestion by the writer, Nancy Franklin:
I hope my conservative friends aren't put off by the Michael Moore reference (Moore's hardly my favorite leftist provocateur; I think he tends to play nearly as fast and loose with the facts as those he criticizes). But the notion that television news ought to expose public officials for not telling the truth shouldn't be revolutionary. Once upon a time, that was one of the media's main jobs, or so I thought. Citizens shouldn't have to go to a comedy show to see blatant lies by the president or vice president - or by the Speaker of the House or any other elected official) exposed. |
.....Advertisement.....
|
...Advertisement...
...Advertisement...
Comments
[May 20, 2008 5:09 PM]
Henry"But the notion that television news ought to expose public officials for not telling the truth shouldn't be revolutionary. Once upon a time, that was one of the media's main jobs, or so I thought."
Until Bill Clinton came along. Then it became inconvenient to do such a thing. Clinton lied constantly and the media was so bought in to his campaign that they had to give up on keeping Bill honest. Who remembers Gennifer Flowers? She had phone tapes of Clinton and the media just ignored her.
The media is doing the same with The Messiah. He is getting passes right and left for his miscues.
[May 20, 2008 6:24 PM]
Ed S."I think [Michael Moore] tends to play nearly as fast and loose with the facts as those he criticizes"
Very true.
[May 20, 2008 7:48 PM]
JoshDan doens't mean a single thing he's saying. If he did, he would say "Hmm. Let's investigate both sides of the global warming debate. Let's examine each of Algore's points, and see if everything is being looked at. Let's be curious.
Stop the lip-service, Dan. Walk the walk or else nobody believes you.
You can start with an editorial that looks at the 10 year projection of global cooling by an otherwise reliable GH adherent and say "Hmm. A ten-year cooling trend. Is it possible this whole manmade global warming forecast is wrong?"
If you want to attract young readers, be HONEST and honestly curious. Taking the leftwing party line is the reason young people don't trust the MSM.
[May 21, 2008 7:16 AM]
JoshWhen I saw the title of this piece, I just knew Dan would get it wrong. Even though there are models out there in FOX and talk radio that show how you attract an audience and keep them, you can count on liberals to miss the obvious conclusion: tell the truth.
It's was the same thing with Radio Free Europe. People instinctively knew the Communists were lying to them; they flocked to the truth-tellers.
[May 25, 2008 11:16 AM]
JimThe only lies I've been hearing are the promises that somehow life will be better under liberal Democrat leadership. I'm really going to miss Bush.