To Quote An Old Bud Light Commercial: "Yes, I Am!"
James Taranto:
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A hilarious take on the subject of media bias comes from Hugh Downs, formerly of ABC's "20/20," in an exchange on the CBS scandal with host Joe Scarborough of MSNBC's "Scarborough Country":
Scarborough: Is there a liberal bias in the media or is the bias towards getting the story first and getting the highest ratings, therefore, making the most money?
Downs: Well, I think the latter, by far. And, of course, when the word liberal came to be a pejorative word, you began to wonder, you have to say that the press doesn't want to be thought of as merely liberal. But people tend to be more liberated in their thought when they are closer to events and know a little more about what the background of what's happening. So, I suppose, in that respect, there is a liberal, if you want to call it a bias. The press is a little more in touch with what's happening.
So you see, it's not that journalists are biased, it's just that they know more than everyone else and thus are "more liberated in their thought"! Don't you feel silly for thinking they were arrogant elitists?
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Downs's comment was silly, but journalists ARE (indisputably) better-educated than the average citizen, and political reporters (arguably) tend to know the issues better than the average person. That's all Downs is saying. (Does Taranto really disagree?)
Better-educated people may be "arrogant elitists," but they're also, er, better educated. It's a tradeoff any rational person would take accept. (Does Taranto really disagree?) I've never understood why the right is so proud that their constituency is poorly educated and doesn't know the issues.
And yes, James, any way you want to cut it, better-educated people are more "liberated" in their thinking, just as people who don't think evolution should be taught in schools are not "liberated" in their thinking. (Does Taranto really disagree?) Downs is not a raging liberal. He is using the term as a matter of description, not values. He is merely explaining why better-educated people do not take public policy advice from Jerry Falwell.
It's a poor word choice for sure, but can't we all agree that knowledge, not ignorance (or revelation), makes you free? (Or does Taranto really disagree?)
________
A hilarious take on the subject of media bias comes from Hugh Downs, formerly of ABC's "20/20," in an exchange on the CBS scandal with host Joe Scarborough of MSNBC's "Scarborough Country":
Scarborough: Is there a liberal bias in the media or is the bias towards getting the story first and getting the highest ratings, therefore, making the most money?
Downs: Well, I think the latter, by far. And, of course, when the word liberal came to be a pejorative word, you began to wonder, you have to say that the press doesn't want to be thought of as merely liberal. But people tend to be more liberated in their thought when they are closer to events and know a little more about what the background of what's happening. So, I suppose, in that respect, there is a liberal, if you want to call it a bias. The press is a little more in touch with what's happening.
So you see, it's not that journalists are biased, it's just that they know more than everyone else and thus are "more liberated in their thought"! Don't you feel silly for thinking they were arrogant elitists?
______________
Downs's comment was silly, but journalists ARE (indisputably) better-educated than the average citizen, and political reporters (arguably) tend to know the issues better than the average person. That's all Downs is saying. (Does Taranto really disagree?)
Better-educated people may be "arrogant elitists," but they're also, er, better educated. It's a tradeoff any rational person would take accept. (Does Taranto really disagree?) I've never understood why the right is so proud that their constituency is poorly educated and doesn't know the issues.
And yes, James, any way you want to cut it, better-educated people are more "liberated" in their thinking, just as people who don't think evolution should be taught in schools are not "liberated" in their thinking. (Does Taranto really disagree?) Downs is not a raging liberal. He is using the term as a matter of description, not values. He is merely explaining why better-educated people do not take public policy advice from Jerry Falwell.
It's a poor word choice for sure, but can't we all agree that knowledge, not ignorance (or revelation), makes you free? (Or does Taranto really disagree?)
posted by hellisotherpeople at 1:14 PM
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