by bvonahsen » Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:48 pm
Ya know, sometimes <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>I</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> disagree with me.<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Sometimes I disagree with you BVH, but this is pretty funny. I thought that a journalist's job was to ask questions. Isn't that, you know, their job description?<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>Yeah, it is but do they do that? Not much that I can tell. Most never leave their cubicle. It's only a very few who actually, you know, go outside and interact with the real world. Sure we see talking heads and intrepid reporters on the scene but they are not the majority. The majority are the copy writers who write the material the talking heads read, or the news articles that comprise the bulk of what passes for news.<br><br>I am also trying to make a fine distinction between what some choose to call gatekeeping and defending the status quo. Gatekeeping implies intent and frankly, I don't think there is much evidence to support that view. What I think is more the norm is an ingrained mental POV. This isn't the result of an intentional decision to "gatekeep". It is just the natural consequence of them going about their job. Well, that and the fact that corporations and the government have successfully gamed the system. They "own" the media not just outright but also by controling what information journalists get fed. Garbage in, garbage out. Some journalists are complicit I guess, but I suspect that most are just sleepwalking through life like everyone else. <p></p><i></i>