Lies are bad. A press corps enabling liars is worse

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.editorialboard.com/lies-are-bad-a-press-corps-enabling-liars-is-worse/


It’s conventional wisdom among newspaper reporters that we should let readers decide. Don’t come to conclusions. Just present the facts objectively. Leave the rest to the op-ed page.

But that conventional wisdom is running into trouble, namely a period in our history in which normal isn’t normal anymore. The more we cling to this conventional wisdom – to these normal reporting conventions – the more harm we do to the people we claim to serve.

That paradox is put into sharp relief by coverage of the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection. Its one-year anniversary is Thursday. The press corps had a year to soul-search, but it’s still treating the event – still treating treason – as if there are two sides. The result is elevating lies to the level of truth, making everything seem as good or bad as everything else, and giving the impression that nothing matters.

I talked about this and more with Mark Jacob. He spent 41 years in daily newspapers, mostly in Chicago. He’s the former Sunday editor at the Chicago Sun-Times and former metro editor at the Chicago Tribune. Since retiring, he’s reinvented himself as the sharpest press critic on social media. If anyone knows how journalism should be done, it’s Mark. I began by asking if the press corps has learned anything.

*snip*

[llashram]

1. hell

the MSM enabled these RW liars for 4 long years. And starting to enable them again with lies of us already defeated at the polls this year. I am so sick as to how low this country has fallen to 3rd world status. Banana republic low. It sickens me to my very soul.

[tenderfoot]

2. I wanted to start an OP asking DUers if the MSM helped spread rw lies rather than refuted them

eom