"It is dangerous to believe that "balanced journalism" gives equal weight to liars and to truth-tellers, to those intent on destroying democracy and those seeking to protect it, to the enablers of an ongoing attempted coup and those who are trying to prevent it.
Two Sundays ago, CNN's Brian Stelter, host of the show Reliable Sources, put it well:
"It's not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue. It's not partisan to stand up to demagogues. It's required. It's patriotic. We must make sure we don't give platforms to those who are lying to our faces."
Not incidentally, that was Stelter's last show on CNN.
On Friday, CNN White House reporter John Harwood said:
"The core point [Biden] made in that political speech about a threat to democracy is true. Now, that's something that's not easy for us, as journalists, to say. We're brought up to believe there's two different political parties with different points of view and we don't take sides in honest disagreements between them. But that's not what we're talking about. These are not honest disagreements. The Republican party right now is led by a dishonest demagogue."
Harwood went on to say:
"Many, many Republicans are rallying behind his lies about the 2020 election and other things as well. And a significant portion or a sufficient portion of the constituency that they're leading attacked the Capitol on January 6. Violently."
Shortly after making these remarks, Harwood announced he was no longer with CNN…..
It is not "taking sides" to point out that the Trump Republicans are trying to establish an authoritarian government in America.
It is not "violating journalistic standards" to tell the unvarnished truth about what America is facing today.
In fact, a failure to call out the Trump Republicans for what they are liars, enablers, and accessories to crimes against the constitution itself violates the most basic canons of journalistic ethics.
"Balanced journalism" does not exist halfway between facts and lies."
Democracy is under attack and reporting that isn't 'violating journalistic standards'-Robert Reich
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/04/biden-speech-democracy-attack-media-coverage-republicans?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
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