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Dan Froomkin calls bullshit on bullshit
The last time I checked, Dan Froomkin still had his job at The Washington Post--maybe news (no pun intended) travels slow in certain circles of D.C. His latest offering at the "Nieman Watchdog - questions the press should ask" tops just about anything I've read recently on the state of media in this country. Froomkin simply explains that the American press needs to look at itself in a mirror and forsake blaming comedy shows and the like for the disregard so many have of the press.
Now if David Broder, David Brooks, George Will or any of the other teacup soiree members had written this, well, emergency rooms across this country would have been filled with heart attack victims. But maybe, just maybe, the media aristocracy will at least read it. Will they see themselves guilty as charged? Don't bet the house.
On the plus side, we now have a new phrase to replace the well-worn 'speaking truth to power' -- 'calling bullshit'.
Dan Froomkin: On Calling BullshitTo read the rest, go here.
November 30th, 2006
www.niemanwatchdog.org
Mainstream-media political journalism is in danger of becoming increasingly irrelevant, but not because of the Internet, or even Comedy Central. The threat comes from inside. It comes from journalists being afraid to do what journalists were put on this green earth to do.
What is it about Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert that makes them so refreshing and attractive to a wide variety of viewers (including those so-important younger ones)? I would argue that, more than anything else, it is that they enthusiastically call bullshit.
Calling bullshit, of course, used to be central to journalism as well as to comedy. And we happen to be in a period in our history in which the substance in question is running particularly deep. The relentless spinning is enough to make anyone dizzy, and some of our most important political battles are about competing views of reality more than they are about policy choices. Calling bullshit has never been more vital to our democracy.
It also resonates with readers and viewers a lot more than passionless stenography. I’m convinced that my enthusiasm for calling bullshit is the main reason for the considerable success of my White House Briefing (Washington Post) column, which has turned into a significant traffic-driver for The Washington Post’s web site.
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