Cannot recommend this dissection of how the media is blowing it again from @JamesFallows enough. It covers a lot of ground, and not only diagnoses the problem, but offers solutions. theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
Fallows' analogy to Mueller's approach is spot on. The press is playing by rules largely of its own invention that Trump and others (like Barr) recognize as phantoms, and easily gamed. If outlets don't respond to this, they will continue to get played.
The specific examples that @JamesFallows uses to critique press tics like both sides-ism and horse-race-ism, should be taught in schools, and not just to journalists. They exemplify the critical thinking all writers should be comfortable doing.
It's just tremendous, careful, and caring work by @JamesFallows, and yet I can't help but think it's not going to make a difference. The institutions are beyond reforming themselves, even as there's occasional glimmers of hope.
Still, this kind of writing is well worth doing for its own sake. It reaffirms the values we should attach to our writing of careful analysis in pursuit of saying things that are supportable and accurate. The living example is important. I have to continue to believe that.
Even if nothing changes now, at least we have the artifact that proves people were sounding the alarm at the time, that hindsight was not necessary to see the error. This is important.
This piece can serve a similar purpose to @JamesFallows article on Iraq as the "51st state" a questioning of the impulse to invade Iraq published four months before the actual invasion. theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
All of the subsequent problems we experienced in Iraq are discussed in the article. The information and knowledge existed to act differently and make different and better choices. The article didn't change the outcome, but it still matters. It still matters.
If you can't tell this whole thread is a self pep talk trying to convince myself to keep pushing on my belief that the only way out for public higher ed is to go tuition-free. I have doubts that the energy to make this happen will gather. beltpublishing.com/collections/pr…
But even if the worst comes to pass for post-secondary education, at least there will be some artifacts (my book and others) showing that there could've been other paths to the future. It wasn't impossible to do the right thing.
One of the things you have to note about the @JamesFallows article is how far back the problem goes and how many people have been speaking out on it. @jayrosen_nyu @froomkin @Sulliview Numerous others.
The problem is that for the most part, the critics of what Fallows identifies are viewed as apostate journalists by those who hold the levers of editorial power and control. Even those who write for mainstream outlets have their views discounted when it comes to actual operations
When I see this pattern of behavior, I have to believe the problem is clearly structural. It's not just about putting different people with different attitudes into positions of leadership. We need incentives that align with the mission of delivering "news."
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