Pay attention to other side’s media
Did President Donald Trump violate his oath of office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate a political opponent? Is he on the verge of impeachment and removal from office? Or are Democrats abusing the impeachment process in pursuit of a political outcome they could not achieve in the 2016 election? Which scenario you embrace is likely reflected by the media sources you trust.
Our growing partisan divide is exacerbated by a news media that is increasingly perceived as wedded to one side or the other. Our most popular information sources are viewed as left or right. Few there are who hold a defensible claim to the vast middle.
While Trump is often wrong when he describes unfavorable coverage as “fake news,” I’m critical of those who react too defensively to the claim. As with all such criticism, journalists who are doing their honest best should ignore it and move on. In other cases, the shoe fits.
But Trump’s real complaint, shared by his supporters, is about emphasis and packaging. A fact favorable to Trump might be buried in the eighth or ninth paragraph of a New York Times article, but serve as the lead item on Fox News. Both outlets can lay claim to reporting the same details, but the gravity assigned to them is where editorial judgment and, yes, ideology come into play.
That’s why news consumers who are sincerely interested in forming the most accurate opinions are best served by forcing themselves to wade through the political prejudices evident in almost all news media to discern for themselves those reports that have merit. Publications such as the Washington Post and the New York Times are favorite punching bags of the right — until stories appear that counter the critics’ narratives, such as the Times’ revelation of the Ukraine whistleblower’s initial contact with the office of Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., or Trump himself touting Post items he thought were favorable.
In fact, virtually all media outlets employ journalists who lean left or right, sometimes in contrast to the reputations of their respective employers. But strong personal opinions do not necessarily make for bad journalists, and old-fashioned, dispassionate reporting can be found in all corners, if you look for it. I recently wrote that “good journalism is gasping for air,” but there are still examples to be found everywhere.
In my neck of the woods, Fox News probably grabs 90 percent of the cable news audience. To be sure, Fox News has excellent reporters, such as Jennifer Griffin covering the Pentagon, Catherine Herridge reporting on intelligence issues and John Roberts at the White House, among many others. Their reports could be broadcast on any other network without changing a word. Likewise, Fox News hosts Chris Wallace and Bret Baer are first-rate journalists by any standards.
But I constantly encourage friends to sample the other channels for a more complete worldview. I was impressed when Fox News’ Neil Cavuto recently offered on-air words of praise for several colleagues, and then expressed admiration for competitors across the cable spectrum, including Rachel Maddow at MSNBC and Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo at CNN — praise that was returned in-kind by Cuomo and Lemon. Lemon went so far as to say of Fox News’ most polarizing host, “I think that if I was really in a jam or in a bind, honestly, I think I could call Sean Hannity and say I need some help, and I think he would do it.”
Another Fox News co-worker celebrated by Cavuto was Shepard Smith, just days before Smith’s surprise announcement that he was stepping down. Smith has long been an outlier in the Fox News lineup with his frequent criticisms of Trump. He prides himself on being a fact-based journalist, but he increasingly slipped into the opinion trap, making clear his doubts about a Trumpian action or statement. The world needs more journalists whose personal views are indecipherable, but Smith, protestations aside, was not always among them.
Still, Smith’s daily presence in the Fox News lineup gave the network someone to point to when criticisms arose about its overall allegiance to the president. By contrast, among the three cable news giants, where’s a pro-Trump host outside of Fox News?
Just for fun, at 9 p.m. each weeknight, try flipping from Hannity to Maddow to Cuomo, round and round every five or 10 minutes. Counternarratives can be informative. One person’s conspiracy theory is another’s legitimate question.
People of all political persuasions should spend time each day perusing every major newspaper and the most popular online platforms, as well as sampling all the cable networks, even if it’s painful. Why? Because good journalism exists in all those places, and it’s worth discovering — even when it’s wrapped inside a partisan package.