Bill Moyers on the failure of journalism in the US



Bill Moyers, formerly of PBS and often criticised by the right wing echo chamber, has spoken out about the failures of US journalism, and it's an interesting read.

"One reason I'm in hot water is because my colleagues and I at "Now" didn't play by the conventional rules of Beltway journalism. Those rules divide the world into Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, and allow journalists to pretend they have done their job if, instead of reporting the truth behind the news, they merely give each side an opportunity to spin the news...

...Instead of acting as filters for readers and viewers sifting the truth from the propaganda, reporters and anchors attentively transcribe both sides of the spin -- invariably failing to provide context, background or any sense of which claims hold up and which are misleading."

It's interesting to note that Americans are often stunned when they see something like Newsnight or Question Time, shocked that in the UK our reporters (sometimes, but not always) actually try to get a proper answer rather than just repeating spin.


Posted: Tue - May 17, 2005 at 11:39 am        

©