Newspaper Narcissism--Interesting article in Columbia Journalism Review

[kaygore]

http://www.cjr.org/essay/newspaper_narcissism_1.php?

American journalism is in distress because it has been chasing the false idols of fame and fortune. While engaged in those pursuits, it forgot its readers and the need to produce a commercial product that appealed to its mass audience, which in turn drew advertisers and thus paid for it all.

"We have also failed our readers in the way we cover government. The First Amendment not only guaranteed freedom of the press from government interference, it also gave American journalists the opportunity—I believe the responsibility—to find and present facts on issues that require public attention. Our press is not protected in order to merely echo the views of government officials, opposition politicians, and so-called experts. Too often, though, that’s what occurs."

[Mike 03]

1. Excellent. Thanks for posting this. And this is true not only for straight journalism, but

this same mentality has contaminated all sorts of other venues for information, such as the so-called business channels, where they continue to recklessly advise people to jump into hazardous stock markets, and right down to "reality TV" and crap like Nancy Grace.

Consensus is not the same as news. This is a lesson we've forgotten, and it is to our detriment.

Rec.

[alsame]

2. Judy Miller. n/t

[Mike 03]

3. Exquisite example. NT

[NashVegas]

4. Re: the Mortgage Meltdown

Media of all types, across the board, were strongly discouraged from ever uttering the word, "bubble." Realtors and developers spent a lot of advertising dollars and their desire for "balanced" (according to them) reporting was made clear to people at the staff level.