media

Some of the best Daily Show moments are when they critique the media, like in this clip. I think many media outlets are so afraid of being accused of bias that they are reluctant to challenge obvious falsehoods. There are other reasons too–fact-checking requires resources and news networks in particular are more concerned about their bottom line.

You also have to be sharp and study a lot to challenge someone on the spot in an interview. But there are actions networks could take to make their guests more accountable for what they say. As of now, lying on a national talk show is all benefit and no penalty. That’s not good for discourse.

This guy gets it.

Society doesn’t need newspapers. What we need is journalism. For a century, the imperatives to strengthen journalism and to strengthen newspapers have been so tightly wound as to be indistinguishable. That’s been a fine accident to have, but when that accident stops, as it is stopping before our eyes, we’re going to need lots of other ways to strengthen journalism instead.

This essay crystallized some of the thoughts I’ve been having about the decline of the newspaper industry (and by association, journalism). Investigative journalism and in-depth reporting are beneficial to society. The Washington Post, NY Times, and a few other big newspapers are large supporters of this type of journalism, and I don’t see the void they are leaving with their budget cuts and slicing of coverage being filled at the same rate by other models of journalism. Other models exist, such as TalkingPointsMemo.com, but their scale and resources are rising nowhere as fast as the newspaper industry is declining.

I think our democracy is headed for a rough time in the next few years, and the (temporary, I hope) decline in good journalism will be one of the factors contributing to a weakening of our democracy. The other major factor will be the decades-long stagnation of our political system. We treat the Constitution like the Bible. Our unwillingness to reform our political system periodically, or even seriously consider term limits for Supreme Court nominees, debate changes to congressional redistricting,  or question at a fundamental level  how campaigns are financed and run,  makes me wonder if our political system is still capable of handling the long-term challenges this country faces (energy, health care, and entitlement reform are my top three).

The decline of funding for journalism at one of the times when we need it the most sure doesn’t help.

Could Mike Ditka have derailed Barack Obama’s ascendancy?

Here’s the short answer to save you a few minutes: NO. 

Guys, come on. There’s only 18 days yet. This is like a marathon runner getting distracted by a shiny bauble 25 miles into the race.