I’ve seen this somewhere 🤔
“a vision of journalism in which the role of media outlets — whether print or digital — is to put forth a set of officially approved views and to silence (or refuse to give voice to) those who dissent from these views”
theweek.com/articles/91814…
“a vision of journalism in which the role of media outlets — whether print or digital — is to put forth a set of officially approved views and to silence (or refuse to give voice to) those who dissent from these views”
theweek.com/articles/91814…
My experiences w/ scientist & journalists working in public & behind scenes to have me fired from a prominent outlet for writing about peer-reviewed research and IPCC colors my views, but the Cotton op-ed was nonetheless problematic...
I don’t have answers, but one path forward for elected & government officials in particular is to have prominent outlets like the @nytimes have a special op-ed page for just these individuals
It is a public service to know what politicians believe, even (especially) if abhorrent
It is a public service to know what politicians believe, even (especially) if abhorrent
I am glad to have read Cotton’s op-ed
It opened my eyes to a profoundly anti-democratic, dare I say fascistic, view of power in American politics that I had not previously (and still don’t fully) understood
But the NYT handled it poorly & op-ed page not fit for this purpose
It opened my eyes to a profoundly anti-democratic, dare I say fascistic, view of power in American politics that I had not previously (and still don’t fully) understood
But the NYT handled it poorly & op-ed page not fit for this purpose
So I don’t agree w/ journalists (& scientists) who feel empowered to call for the hiding/removal/deplatforming of experts/elected officials whose views are both legitimate & airing of is in the public interest — even when those same journos/scis disagree with the views expressed
For politicians one answer might be to create a modern op-ed page just for them, call it the “political view”
Here they can publish the views of, eg, the Taliban & Steve King with the clear understanding that these are views from those with power
I want to know those views
Here they can publish the views of, eg, the Taliban & Steve King with the clear understanding that these are views from those with power
I want to know those views
Creating a space for elected & gov’t officials to publish views would deemphasize turfy fights over op-ed page space
But what if 100 US senators want to write op-eds on their views on using or not military force against American citizens?
Publish them all!
What a public service
But what if 100 US senators want to write op-eds on their views on using or not military force against American citizens?
Publish them all!
What a public service
It is far more complex when thinking about publishing the views of experts
It is easy to assess whether someone is a Senator
It is not so easy for journos to know who speaks with legitimacy and authority on Covid, on climate, etc, especially when context is politicized ...
It is easy to assess whether someone is a Senator
It is not so easy for journos to know who speaks with legitimacy and authority on Covid, on climate, etc, especially when context is politicized ...
To wrap up
Yes, NYT screwed up w/ Cotton op-ed
But screw up reflects foundational problems in thinking about publishing opinion, not simply publish or not
Opens door to deeper problems related to authority, legitimacy, expertise where they meet media, publics, politics
/END
Yes, NYT screwed up w/ Cotton op-ed
But screw up reflects foundational problems in thinking about publishing opinion, not simply publish or not
Opens door to deeper problems related to authority, legitimacy, expertise where they meet media, publics, politics
/END
