Monday, December 15, 2008
Journalism's revolving door
The mainstream media takes great umbrage at the "revolving door" between government and the K Street firms that lobby government. What with politicians and bureaucrats constantly shuffling between the two, we are told that there are unavoidable conflicts that compromise government for the people. After all, however much people might struggle to do the right thing, if they take a job with an industry that they were previously regulating or otherwise influencing, what are we to make of their judgments while in office? Well, then, why is it just fine for journalists who profess to objectivity to go to work for politicians in official positions of flackery? If Jay Carney, Time magazine's Washington bureau chief, goes to work for Joe Biden, how are we to regard the work he did as a supposedly objective journalist?
Now, there is nothing new in this. George W. Bush's most celebrated press secretary was Tony Snow, a former news journalist for Fox News. My objection is not that it happens. Rather, I just want the end of the obviously fraudulent pretense to objectivity of mainstream media journalists and editors. After all, who can tell which of them is positioning himself for the next big career move?
2 Comments:
By 
, at
Tue Dec 16, 03:11:00 AM:
But Snow was known as a self-professed conservative commentator? Didn't he have a talk radio show or something?
Did Jay Carney ever admit he was a liberal? Or did he stick to the old liberal "objective" journalist line of being an independent? (a la Schultz)
By 
Charlottesvillain, at
Tue Dec 16, 11:59:00 AM:
While it adds nothing to the discussion, I feel compelled to mention that Jay Carney was a classmate of mine at prep school.
