To: DMaA who wrote (304668 ) 5/11/2009 7:50:48 PM From: Tom Clarke 1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) | Respond to >>Like their peers who edit newspapers, CNN’s producers cut their teeth during the Watergate era of the mid-1970s. Speaking of which, Moe Lane writes:Honestly, I think that everybody involved would be happier if we just established once and for all that the Watergate scandal was a disaster for the newspaper industry; it encouraged an entire generation of reporters to go out there and try to change American society, instead of simply documenting it. Nobody really wants them to do the former. In fact, based on the historical record, what the American people want them to do is to go out and alternatively tweak and praise local power structures via proudly and openly biased articles that make no secret of their own opinions, and that offer no pretense to an objectivity that never really existed anyway. In short, the American people want ‘honest’ yellow journalism for their day-to-day news. Nail on the head, Moe. All The President’s Men solidified this idea of journalism that “makes a difference” in the heads of a generation of journalists. It not only encouraged a lot of what is called “Pulitzer bait” — the five-part series — but it generally attracted to the business a lot of liberal do-gooders who thought of themselves as superior to their readers. pajamasmedia.com
