Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Media In Like Clint at 1100 Broadway
Posted by Bruce Barry on Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 5:33 AM
The news that Clint Brewer will become political editor of The Tennessean triggered a comment thread over at Post Politics on media bias in local journalism generally and at 1100 Broadway specifically. Perhaps some think that Brewer and his neckwear signal a new day of ideological conservatism at the no-longer-all-that-liberal-if-you're-actually-paying-attention Tennessean.
On the subject of press bias and the ideology of reporters and editors, NYU journalism professor and media oracle Jay Rosen put up a thoughtful post at his PressThink blog just the other day. Rosen contends that the reality of press ideology is not as obvious as many think.
The left says: Look, it’s very simple. The political press ultimately serves the interests of the people who own it — the corporate capitalists, the ones with money and power and “access” to politicians, the people who run things and always have. ... The right says: Look, it’s very simple. Press coverage reflects the bias of the people who produce it — and they’re liberals! ... Look, it’s very simple, our journalists say. The press isn’t on the side of the left or the right. Of course, journalists are human. They have passions, they have interests, they have opinions. But these are irrelevant to the way they define and do their job, which is to find out what’s happening and tell the world about it. ...In the puny camp that I’m a part of the first sentence is: This is complicated…
Rosen's argument is pretty detailed but worth a read by serious newshounds. He arrives at conclusions about the forces that actually bias the press that are a lot less straightforward than the bipolarity of liberal and conservative, but make a lot more sense.
Comments (9)
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That POS "newspaper" stopped being relevant about 10 years ago. They get their "news" a couple of days after it happened and they haven't had a real writer since Larry Daughtery was shown the door. Based on the comments attached to "political" articles I read there, they should have Rush Limbaugh as their political editor. Anyone can sit on a dead horse, but you still can't make it run.
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Dammit Bruce, we wait all day yesterday for something from Pith on Brewer and all you got is this weaksauce? Brewer's dismissal from SouthComm was due at least in part to ideology and culture was it not? Can't we at least cop to that at this point or are we just gonna ignore that little piece of business?
And whether he is or isn't conservative, and I would submit that the center-left Garrigan Scene and the center-right Brewer CP never had as much daylight between them as folks seemed to think, he is seen that way. I mean the man spent fourteen months at a right-wing think tank started by Drew Johnson for fucksake. Nothing to say about that?
This is a big deal, is it not? Democratic flacks and operatives have always been able to move freely between journalism and politics, it has not been so for Republicans and conservatives. Sure, TCPR is not a campaign or an administration job, but it is clearly right-leaning.
Name me another journalist in this town who was able to reveal fairly openly his right-wing proclivity and go into or back into the mainstream media?
This event is huge with wide implications for Nashville journalism and you are sidestepping most of them. Very surprising.
"I mean the man spent fourteen months at a right-wing think tank ..."
The fact that Brewer leans right is hardly news; it was made amply apparent by the editorial tilt of the CP under his editorial leadership, and before that by his periodic appearances as a panelist on the Teddy Bart show. The notion that a writer or editor might move back and forth between journalism, commentary, and think-tankery is hardly novel or alarming in this age of shrinking newsrooms and ephemeral editorial opportunities.
"This event is huge with wide implications for Nashville journalism"? I'll believe that when I see it. As it is The Tennessean does safe and uninspired political journalism that avoids exploring issues beyond the surface and rarely challenges or highlights alternatives to conventional wisdom. I prefer to wait and see the consequences of Brewer's arrival rather than speculate. Given The Tennessean's corporate-formulaic approach to its news product, the one piece of speculation I would offer is that little will change.
And by the way much if not most of what TCPR puts out is fairly mild economic libertarianism, not an expansive litany of seething right-wing polemicism. When TCPR commentary does go well right, it tends (lately) to be the stuff by Richard Grant -- reprinting or rehashing his columns which appear -- yes indeedie -- in The Tennessean! So forgive me if I don't see Brewer's move to the Tennessean (granted, on the news side, not editorial) as earthshaking.
"the no-longer-all-that-liberal-if-you're-actually-paying-attention Tennessean."
Printing a few more syndicated columns by conservative writers doesn't mean the Tennessean editors are any less liberal than they always were.
Name one conservative position they have ever taken in any of their own editorials they have published.
The Tennessean - Nashville, Tenn.
Date: Nov 30, 2002
Start Page: A.18
Section: Main News
Text Word Count: 375
Abstract (Document Summary)
Kissinger great choice for Sept. 11 panel The success of the independent commission that will investigate Sept. 11 will depend on how fairly and thoroughly the panel seeks facts - and how much trust the public puts in those findings.
You think endorsing Kissinger for membership on a commission counts as taking a conservative position on something?
How odd.
Mr. Rosen and certainly Bruce Barry can never be accused of
being anything but very left of Center. If Mr. Brewer should
take the Tennessean any degree right of center it would be a
first in the last 30 yrs. You can be assured their LTE and
other featured writers/articles/causes will be to the left!
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Name ONE conservative position The Tennessean editorial staff has EVER produced. Time will tell, but an editorial shift has been WAY too long in coming. A newspaper should ALWAYS reflect it's readership or it just simply won't have any. The Tennessean has been stuck in the 60's for 40 years!!
