All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind.
Monday, January 21, 2013
The litmus test
It's now the official rule of thumb for Canadian journalists: if the Harper Cons aren't attacking you for having the nerve to point out their falsehoods, then you're not doing your job.
Just because they are not doing "PR" for the Conservatives...does not mean they are not doing "PR" for another interested party.
I pass no judgement on this particular case. But the trend is undeniable.
Reporters who "do their jobs" would be content to produce dry and passion-less reports highlighting the occurrence of events or the release of research.
Clearly, they are not content. So what is usually produced amounts to nothing more than "public relations" on behalf of some undeclared (but easily discerned) party:
- "Expert analysts" are filtered & tasked with voicing blatant opinions that the reporter cannot express.
- "Man on the street" accounts are hand-picked to convey a false impression of mass public sentiment.
- "Reporters" themselves matter-of-factly declare as "reality" or "fact" that which is impermanent and arguable.
- Any challenge to the "editorial bent" is arrogantly dismissed or purposefully omitted.
IMO, there is a link between such conduct and such dismal results: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/03/new-gallup-poll-journalists-low-honesty-rating_n_2231373.html
To all,
ReplyDeleteJust because they are not doing "PR" for the Conservatives...does not mean they are not doing "PR" for another interested party.
I pass no judgement on this particular case. But the trend is undeniable.
Reporters who "do their jobs" would be content to produce dry and passion-less reports highlighting the occurrence of events or the release of research.
Clearly, they are not content. So what is usually produced amounts to nothing more than "public relations" on behalf of some undeclared (but easily discerned) party:
- "Expert analysts" are filtered & tasked with voicing blatant opinions that the reporter cannot express.
- "Man on the street" accounts are hand-picked to convey a false impression of mass public sentiment.
- "Reporters" themselves matter-of-factly declare as "reality" or "fact" that which is impermanent and arguable.
- Any challenge to the "editorial bent" is arrogantly dismissed or purposefully omitted.
IMO, there is a link between such conduct and such dismal results:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/03/new-gallup-poll-journalists-low-honesty-rating_n_2231373.html