Ignore the War V
The Week doesn't actually offer articles online, but the Nov. 23 edition sports a thoughtful look at a recent controversy in the media: Is objectivity un-American? A writer in the Weekly Standard criticizes media workers for not wearing flag pins or acting more patriotic. And in the Washington Post, Michael Kinsley says that the media is damned if they do -- and damned if they don't. Prior to the current military action, conservative critics claimed the press lacked objectivity. Now members of the press are being accused of upholding their objectivity. Depends on which way the wind blows, I suppose. But if more journalists were honest about their biases, opinions, and subjectivity, we'd avoid this hubbub in the first place. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. And stand behind it.