Journalism Today

Here is another commentary, this one by James Q. Wilson, that I think helps us develop an accurate understanding of government and politics:

Most of what I have said here is common knowledge. But it is common knowledge about a new period in American journalistic history. Once, powerful press owners dictated what their papers would print, sometimes irresponsibly. But that era of partisan and circulation-building distortions was not replaced by a commitment to objective journalism; it was replaced by a deep suspicion of the American government. That suspicion, fueled in part by the Vietnam and Watergate controversies, means that the government, especially if it is a conservative one, is surrounded by journalists who doubt almost all it says. One obvious result is that since World War II there have been few reports of military heroes; indeed, there have been scarcely any reports of military victories.

This change in the media is not a transitory one that will give way to a return to the support of our military when it fights. Journalism, like so much scholarship, now dwells in a postmodern age in which truth is hard to find and statements merely serve someone's interests.

The mainstream media's adversarial stance, both here and abroad, means that whenever a foreign enemy challenges us, he will know that his objective will be to win the battle not on some faraway bit of land but among the people who determine what we read and watch. We won the Second World War in Europe and Japan, but we lost in Vietnam and are in danger of losing in Iraq and Lebanon in the newspapers, magazines and television programs we enjoy.

I think this is a very important essay by Mr. Wilson. It seems to me important to account for the perspective presented in this essay when a person tries to become informed about political issues. Journalism's basic stance on the country and war is also present in all other areas of politics and public policy. The bottom line, in all matters of reporting and commentary on politics and public policy seems to be: "Journalism, like so much scholarship, now dwells in a postmodern age in which truth is hard to find and statements merely serve someone's interests."

I find it quite a challenge to try to become accurately and well informed about politics and public policy. I think one should always be cautious about what to decide to believe.