‘How will a large segment of the public ever put stock in journalism it considers hostile to the country’s best interests?’…
(Michael Barnes, Liberty Headlines) Former CBS News president Van Gordon Sauter thinks the mainstream news media has passed the point of no return, and his solution is for politically biased news organizations to stop pretending to be neutral truth-tellers.
“There’s probably no way to seal the gap between the media and a large segment of the public. The media likes what it is doing. Admires it. Celebrates it. There is no personal, professional or financial reason to change. If anything, the gap will expand,” he said.
Sauter, who used to praise the likes of former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather and far-left political commentator Bill Moyers, took to the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal on Sunday to express his doubts about the so-called Fourth Estate.
He claimed the media’s left-wing lurch has actually lagged behind other progressive cultural strongholds, such as universities, Hollywood, upscale magazines and the literary world. Only late-night talk shows have belatedly descended into political shamelessness with the news media.
Objectivity, balance and fairness, which Sauter said was “once the gold standard of reporting,” are no longer valued as mandatory principals of modern journalism.
Instead, journalists believe America is severely flawed and they’re committed to correcting it, he said.
“Much of journalism has become the clarion voice of the ‘resistance,’ dedicated to ousting the president, even though he was legally elected and, according to the polls, enjoys the support of about 44% of likely 2020 voters,” wrote Sauter.
“How will a large segment of the public ever put stock in journalism it considers hostile to the country’s best interests?” he asked.
In addition to the media’s self-righteous indignation and messianic complex, another motivation for extreme liberal bias has been economic reward.
Previously, alienating readers due to sloppy reporting and thinly veiled political attacks disguised as fact-based journalism, let alone outright fabrications, would have led to a critical loss of credibility and financial ruin.
But that is no longer the case, Sauter explained.
Anti-Trump activism, combined with liberal billionaire support, has proven commercially viable.
In fact, pivoting back toward honest journalism would likely cause negative financial repercussions now that media has painted itself into a corner.
“The news media seems very comfortable with its product and ability to sell it,” he concluded.