Posted by
Mike Bates on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 12:25:38 PM
Today's contribution from the Chicago Tribune's Clarence Page, who also serves on the newspaper's editorial board, is "Enquirer scores— but about the aliens." Clarence frets about mainstream media credibility under attack for not pursuing John Edwards's affair:
The blogosphere is abuzz with criticism of the
mainstream media for allegedly failing to pursue the story of Edwards'
alleged "love child" when the National Enquirer first reported it last
year. In fact, major media did try to confirm the story without using
the Enquirer as a source. It appears most of us in the MSM tend to be
hung up on stodgy old-fashioned virtues like facts. The Edwards
bombshell became problematic when none of the main parties in the story
would go on the record to confirm the allegation. If you're going to
use unnamed sources, which is questionable enough as a practice, at
least make them your own sources, not those of a supermarket tabloid.
And later:
Nevertheless, now that the Enquirer bagged Edwards
before anyone else, probably because of an insider's tip, bloggers from
the right-wing loonasphere already are using the Edwards scoop to grant
unearned credibility to other tabloid stories. These include loads of
claptrap about Sen. Barack Obama, among other political newsmakers.
Page's denunciation of "the right-wing loonasphere" should be read
with his own politics in mind. Clarence is a standard issue liberal
and has been one for a very long time. Back in the 1980s he admitted
that he'd been criticized for being too hard on President Ronald
Reagan. Another Page column at the time was typical:
If you think about the poor too long, you might not
think so well of the Teflon President`s policies. Though he has yet to
advocate starvation, one would be hard pressed to find anyone since
Ebeneezer Scrooge who has asked the poor to put as much water into
their daily soup.
In a statement that should assume its rightful position among his
great bloopers--right up there alongside missiles that can be called
back and trees that cause air pollution--Reagan said poor people get
hungry because of their ``lack of knowledge`` of available food
programs.
He ought to know. There once was a time when the federal government
helped hungry people get the knowledge they needed. Beginning with the
presidency of Richard M. Nixon, the federal government required that
states provide such ``outreach`` services as home visits for the
elderly and then it matched state expenditures. Then along came the
Reagan administration and
federal outreach funds were eliminated during the big 1981 budget slash.
Who would have guessed it would take Ronald Reagan to make Richard Nixon look good!
Given his agenda, it's little wonder Clarence would focus on "the
right-wing loonasphere" while having little criticism for the
Democratic Underground, Daily Kos, and other highly credible sources.
It must be because he and his cohorts are " hung up on stodgy
old-fashioned virtues like facts."
Sure. I believe that.