Quote:
Originally posted by Cowperson@Nov 9 2004, 03:17 PM
Both sides have their advocates and there is no shortage of champions on either side as you can see from one guy arguing the right is in control and another arguing the left has the advantage.
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I can agree with that. I suspect that the consumer is still going through a transition. It used to be that you would turn to Walter Cronkite because he would give you a balance to the news - it was his job. If the news becomes a consumer product, complete with bias and slant, then the consumer has to become more aware. I would find it almost dangerous to get your news from only one source. You then get only that slant.
If you get to a point where you only tune in to what you want to hear for the news, I think it puts the democracy in danger. It also puts an inordinate amount of power in the hands of the "spinners". I think that if you want to be a journalist, you should aspire to balance and fairness. The media should not be towing any party line.
Caveat emptor might be fine when buying a pair of shoes, but I think the media should be held to a higher standard. They have always held the role of government critic. To aschew that in favour of ratings is, IMO, the wrong direction to go.