Thursday, August 16, 2007
Depending on who you ask these days, something is always dying. According to Nas, hip-hop is dead. Ask any writer for “TV Guide” and they will say the three-camera angle sitcom is dead (and reality TV killed it). However, watch an episode of “The O’Reilly Factor” and it will be made perfectly clear that most investigative journalism perpetuated by men and women in coastal enclaves is effectively killing journalism.
But is this really so?
People like Mr. O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann believe that activist, biased reporting is responsible for the demise of journalistic integrity. Take case in point: Mr. Olbermann has a rather humorous moniker for Fox News Channel; he calls it Fox Noise Channel. The basic premise behind this nickname is that Fox News blatantly disregards the nobility of serious journalism. By constantly employing conservative commentators who seemingly give slanted views on liberal Democrats, Olbermann asserts that this new form of TV journalism sullies the name that journalists like William Allen White and Walter Cronkite had endeavored to create.
Nutgraf
Sadly, the pink elephant in the room remains to be that these aforementioned news and opinion journalists aren’t willing to accept articles and editorials written or spoken with a differing point of view.
Hey, don’t get me wrong. I would absolutely jump at the chance to contribute to or work for the Fox News Corporation or MSNBC. I feel both media outlets are very much authentic and worthy of their reputations, but both companies could ease up on the mudslinging of each other. So, enough of those two. How about that New York Times? Almost every conservative pundit nominates this prestigious institution as the bastion of all things liberal, biased and contemptuous of the Bush administration. While the Times has printed some questionable columns, I still believe this paper has the wherewithal to back up its creed of “all the news that’s fit to print.”
The major issue here seems to be one side of the political spectrum blaming the other side for journalism’s death, when journalism appears to be doing just fine. I really don’t buy Ann Coulter’s schtick about liberal universities pumping their little liberal graduates into the media in order to keep some imaginary stronghold on the public and force it to adhere to liberal philosophy. Just in the same way, Fox News or conservative radio hosts are not out to destroy all that is holy and free in the media or broadcasting.
Sadly, the pink elephant in the room remains to be that these aforementioned news and opinion journalists aren’t willing to accept articles and editorials written or spoken with a differing point of view. It seems like every other week some liberal goes into an apoplexy over some article written by a conservative that may suggest that Osama Bin Laden is a real terrorist, not Rupert Murdoch or any branch of the U.S. military. However, as with most prophecies of doom and gloom, the inevitable silver lining rears its head. Lil’ Wayne is giving the breath of life to hip-hop, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine on “Seinfeld”) continues to generate high ratings and Emmy nominations for CBS. So perhaps Keith Olbermann is a bit premature in pronouncing Fox News as the assassin of all things spoken and scribed with journalistic integrity. But really, can we do something about that Glenn Beck guy?
Williams is a Coffeyville junior in English and Pre-Law.
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