XPav
December 11, 2003, 1:18pm
1
http://www.getdonkey.com/archives/000848.php#000848
Anyway, the most interesting part of this all was the van ride from the rally site to the hotel. I recognized the names of most of the reporters in the van (there were people from 2 major newspapers, at least one major news service, and at least one national television network). I won’t name them here, but anyone who reads the Dean section of ABC’s “the Note” would recognize the names as well. What was most interesting was hearing them interact with each other. I always had this silly stereotype of journalists trying to scoop each other and keeping their information to themselves, but these guys were the definition of pack journalism. What was scary was that a lot of them didn’t really seem to know what they were talking about regarding some of Dean’s policy stances, things he said at the speech, etc. I got the distinct impression that they were interviewing each other for information (instead of, say, the official campaign spokesman that was in the front seat). Honest to Pete, I heard one reporter ask another “How do you think Dean is doing,” and the other went on to answer how he felt Dean probably wrapped up the nomination when he decided against campaign financing, but the test will be if his appeal extends beyond the base of radical liberal supporters…" The exchange was followed by the sound of fingers typing on keyboard. I guess that’s how memes like “radical liberal base” perpetuate themselves. It’s kind of scary how, I don’t know, lazy these guys are. I mean here they are serving as the information gateway between the Dean campaign and the public, and it appeared that they were basically winging it.
Just because they’re lazy doesn’t mean they’re not liberal. In fact, some would argue that that would make them the definition of liberal. :wink:
Haven’t I been saying since 1823 that most journalists are just writing up each other’s opinions? Anyway, this laziness leads to a self-reinforcing uniform opinion which can certainly take the shape of a conformist “liberal” media if such opinions happen to be the most prevalent so that’s not mutually exclusive.