Comey’s not the problem, the media is the problem
We’ve got an election problem and it’s not just Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
A powerful public official errs on the side of transparency and disclosure and how does the media react? Outraged. Indignant. Defensive. These are our supposed public watchdogs. The ones whose job is to expose what taxpayer-funded officials and politicians don’t want you to know.
You can’t blame FBI Director James Comey for thinking he might get some credit for bringing to light potentially important evidence in the Clinton email investigation. Instead he got blindsided by Clinton campaign counterattacks and the multitude of media lapdogs all too willing to regurgitate the Democratic spin:
Comey violated the FBI’s longtime policy of not influencing elections. He was too vague. Oh, no, not vagueness! Not violating policy! Put Comey on trial for treason.
Imagine if the FBI had important new information and decided to reopen an investigation of Trump. Do you think Comey would face such a blizzard of criticism? Of course not. Because the sad truth is much of the media badly wants Trump to lose.
So instead of the media chasing the real story — which is what might be evidence that Clinton or her aides covered up or hid more classified emails in Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin’s laptop — they question Comey’s motives. Because that’s what Democrats and Clinton defenders want voters to hear.
That’s not to say all the media are biased or incompetent. There are still a few glimpses of good reporting, like the recent New York Times rundown separating truth from fiction on the Trump organization’s alleged ties to Russia.
But the vast majority of what most Americans get from cable news and other media now is not even real journalism — it’s a bunch of blowhards and unqualified “consultants” regurgitating the same misinformation and conventional wisdom over and over.
After the election, reporters, editors and news producers need to take a good, hard look at themselves and ask why nearly six in 10 American voters believe the media was biased against Trump.
If cable and broadcast news outlets and print media can’t protect the integrity of a debate, they should sit on the sidelines. CNN should be banned from hosting debates.
And colleges and journalism schools need to look at how they’re teaching the next generation of reporters. Hiring consultants, corporate shills and flacks who barely set foot in a newsroom does a disservice to students who want to get into the business.
And every working journalist needs to look in the mirror. They have a right to hold private opinions and if they really feel the need to vote, go for it. But if reporters can’t put aside their opinions and rooting interests while covering a campaign, they should find other jobs.
The fact that a non-journalist, Julian Assange, has done the best campaign reporting should be a wake-up call. I have covered elections for 30 years and I really don’t care who wins or loses. That may sound harsh. But it’s the price you pay for being a journalist. Or so I thought.