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Politics : Just the Facts, Ma'am: A Compendium of Liberal Fiction -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Suma who wrote (26058)	1/12/2005 8:38:23 AM
From: longnshort	Respond to of 90947

CBS done in by bias I am a political conservative but defended the news media for years as I used research from scholars to argue that any bias in the news business did not reflect a deliberate effort to manipulate information, but reflected journalists' socioeconomic background ("CBS fires 4; Rather stays on," Page 1, yesterday). (I have been a journalist and have taught undergraduate and graduate journalism for many years.) As I watched the CBS story about President Bush unfold just before election time, I changed my mind. I was wrong; I came to believe and am convinced, based on the CBS fiasco, that the major news media are driven often by a political and ideological agenda. Specifically, I think they were so afraid President Bush might win re-election and they wanted so much for the CBS story to be true that they finally threw to the wind all semblance of balance and professionalism, stopped pretending to be fair and showed what had percolated beneath the surface of their reporting for a long time: bias. It seems clear to me that the professional journalists at CBS were on a mission to discredit Mr. Bush, with the goal of influencing the election. I made up my mind as the CBS story unfolded and was doggedly defended by the CBS staff. I stopped watching CBS as a credible source of information and analysis as a result of that story. I am pleased with the CBS investigation, even though the network undoubtedly was dragged to it by public outcry, but I am disappointed that the report does not acknowledge this bias. There was a systemic problem, but I'm convinced there was more to it than that. I would have a lot more respect for CBS had the network executives come clean and not covered up. This CBS-gate (or Rathergate, if one prefers) episode will not be forgotten by me or most Americans. It will linger in our memories for a long time. That's unfortunate for those journalists who pursue the high road of ethical practice. It also is unfortunate for average Americans, who need to be informed to function as good citizens in this republic. How can the major news operations even wonder why Fox News has taken the viewership from the major news networks so dramatically in recent months? Simply: We the audience, the public who are no longer the silent majority, are looking for a credible source of information. Although advocacy journalism is important and has its place in American media, it needs to be acknowledged openly and labeled. Traditional journalists have a "contract" with the public, and Dan Rather and CBS failed to live up to that contract with us. Finally, some of the sad CBS story of dishonest manipulation is public record. Thanks to those citizens and journalists who held CBS accountable. J. DOUGLAS TARPLEY Professor of Journalism Biola University La Mirada, Calif