I saw this story on Drudge about a panel of prominent journalists discussing the question "Is the free press a fair press?" Think about this question for a minute. What's the implication of phrasing it that way instead of simply "Does America have a fair press?" To me, the connection of 'fair' to 'free' leads to a false dichotomy - either we do indeed have a fair press, and everybody who says 'liberal bias' ought to just shut the hell up, or we don't have a fair press, and the fact that it's 'free' is at least part of the problem:
"While journalists are often accused of having a liberal bias, 'most media are owned by Republican conservatives, so there is a healthy balance and tension' within the news operation, [AP CEO Tom] Curley said."What the hell does that mean? The conservative owners insist on the GOP party line, and the intrepid journalists fight The Man on principle? Give me a break.
Maybe I'm reading too much into that, but there is one thing in particular I need to point out. In discussion of Fox News' "Fair And Balanced" slogan, CNN anchor Judy Woodruff said:
"Woodruff added that the motto should be unnecessary for any news organization. 'Fox is concerned about its news reputation. At CNN, we don't need to use those terms,' she said."That's right, Judy. All CNN does is suppress stories for the sake of maintaining access to power (also here and here). Jackasses. Posted by Chris at September 28, 2003 08:54 PM