Ten things you learn in an election
Hearing from readers is always bracing, particularly in an election year. Here are some of the things to be learned from their comments about the news media, particularly newspapers.
You focus on trivial and sensational things instead of giving us information about the issues.
You keep running those deadly dull issue stories and editorials that nobody cares about.
You give us no respite from this relentless election coverage.
You give us all these silly local features when you ought to be covering the election more thoroughly.
You blow things out of proportion by putting them on the front page with those huge headlines.
You always bury the really important news deep inside the paper to make sure nobody finds it.
You’re just a mouthpiece for the radical left.
You’re a spineless corporate apologist.
You use your power and influence to sway the election to carry out your liberal agenda.
Your pathetic attempts to carry out your liberal agenda will fail because no one reads you anymore.
Comments
Pretty neat trick, being a mouthpiece for the radical left and a spineless corporate apologist. Of course, the left and right are both wrong about the media: a side effect of the First Amendment is that news media are businesses, and their bias, if any, is not toward the right or the left but toward the bottom line.
Posted by: Mike Livingston | October 28, 2008 2:44 PM
Hmm. I can't decide if I agree or disagree.
Posted by: Michael Covarrubias | October 28, 2008 5:12 PM
Mike, the evidence in the case of the Sun would seem to deny your argument about focus. The perceived bias has resulted in a diminished bottom line.
Perhaps, though, you make the point that a focus on other than the bottom line for a business is misguided.
My question for the blogger is: What valuable lesson did you learn from this marathon, er, um, campaign?
Please answer quickly. Accepted belief in the political science field is that the next election starts the day after the current one. On today's broadcast, Matthew Dowd told Charlie Rose that some current players should be looking to the 2016 election.
Posted by: Bruce Robinson | October 30, 2008 12:18 PM