Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by thunderfork 155 days ago
One of the greatest failings of journalism over the last bunch of decades has been that it takes too much of a neutral (or capital-oriented) position. You can follow this from the scores of puff pieces on the Vietnam War being, like, totally under control, dude, straight through to the modern endless refrain of "well, Steve says the Earth is round and Bob says the Earth is flat, but it's up to you to decide :)". Incuriosity and hypercredulity of access-journalists saving up trivia for their book deals, all with the "noble" goal of appearing "neutral" - it's been the death spiral of Western democracy.
2 comments
throwaway21856 155 days ago
How else would you suggest communicating to a population that fundamentally does not share your views, other than with neutrality?

As a Bucks County native, the Beacon is not at all representative of the median voter. Oh, certainly there are some aligned with it, but there are just as many with the opposite views, and most are in between. Journalists that don't respect those people in the middle, that disagreement, have no chance of being listened to by them. They have every right to voice their opinions, but if journalists only respect the people who already agree with them, then we're all just going to stay in our bubbles.

link
thunderfork 154 days ago
Journalists shouldn't "represent voters", they should represent truth.
link
daveaiello 155 days ago
Perhaps my choice of the phrase "neutral political position" was not what others would have chosen.

I am trying to take a fact-based perspective in what I say and do.

Facts don't belong to either dominant political party in the United States.

link
bpt3 155 days ago
The person you are responding to doesn't acknowledge that the Democratic Party represents the left wing in US politics, presumably because they aren't beholden to the small far left portion of its constituents.

I wouldn't spend time trying to justify your stance to him, which is a very reasonable one IMO.

link
thunderfork 154 days ago
You're putting words in my mouth that aren't there and I don't really think you're abiding by the "assume good faith" policy that HN sets out.
link