Ethical Misdirection

Adam Cohen wrote an interesting op-ed this week-end about ethics and it’s one I think that the people involved should take a long hard look at. He makes the following good points:

But more talk show hosts, and talk show audiences, are starting to ask whether at least the most prominent talk shows with the highest ratings shouldn’t hold themselves to the same high standards to which they hold other media…Many talk show hosts make little effort to check their information…They rarely have procedures for running a correction…The wall between their editorial content and advertising is often nonexistent…And talk show hosts and their guests rarely disclose whether they are receiving money from the people or causes they talk about.

Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the radio pundit pack deliver far more people “news” than the NY Times does every day. There’s a whole”fair and balanced” Network devoted to right wing opinion that often fails to correct itself. And the cable shoutfests that spend hours discussing delusional swift boat obsessions and Clinton’s manly member set the agenda for what will be covered and discussed for days to come. Perhaps it’s a good thing that the mainstream press has decided to demand that these quasi-journalistic venues are held to some ethical standard. After all, they’ve been getting away with murder for decades now.

Oh, and maybe once we get that all cleared up we can start talking about bloggers.

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