Leftist journalists applauded an article in the Los Angeles Times that calls for an end to “both-siderism” in media coverage and to come down even harder on Republicans while not covering Democrats so harshly.
Los Angeles Times columnist Jackie Calmes, who was a New York Times reporter before moving over to the Los Angeles Times, wrote an op-ed entitled, “Why journalists are failing the public with ‘both-siderism’ in political coverage.” She whined about “journalistic pressure” to write stories that ostensibly presented both sides of an issue and said it prevented journalists from reporting what she calls “the new truth.”
Specifically, Calmes went after reporters who “focus critically on President Biden and Democrats” as opposed to “Republicans’ obstructions.”
“To the extent, then, that journalists and pundits focus critically on President Biden and Democrats and give short shrift to Republicans’ obstructions — as if the cancer of Trumpism was in remission, if not cured — that indeed distorts reality and disserves readers, listeners and viewers,” Calmes remarked, insinuating that Americans are not capable of discerning what is actually happening in politics or exactly what is the truth.
Column: For years it was easy to cover “both sides”—Rs & Ds—as equally worthy, & blameworthy, partners in democracy. With Newt, that began changing.
Now, when reporters or pundits use the words “both sides” re some pol problem, I stop reading or listening.https://t.co/SA9QRzEMPD— Jackie Calmes (@jackiekcalmes) October 15, 2021
She attacked Republicans over and over in her piece and warned that “democracy is literally at stake” concerning recent election laws.
“Democracy is literally at stake: As Republicans block federal voting rights legislation, those in red states continue to challenge the 2020 votes for Biden (but not their own), pass laws to suppress future votes in ways disadvantageous to Democrats, gerrymander legislative districts and replace nonpartisan election overseers with partisan ones,” the liberal writer disingenuously posited.
“This is a Republican Party that is not serious about governing or addressing the nation’s actual problems, as opposed to faux ones like Critical Race Theory,” Calmes caustically stated.
She ended her piece by writing, “Democrats can’t be expected to deal with these guys like they’re on the level. Nor should journalists cover them as if they are.”
Once the op-ed went public, liberal journalists started lining up to gush over it.
“Good point from longtime reporter @JackieCalmes: Missing from much political coverage is that only one party is even trying to govern,” New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer tweeted.
New York Times Magazine writer Nikole Hannah-Jones chimed in, “Every political journalist should read this and the book ‘How Democracies Die.’”
“Great Op Ed — important message for every journalist. (NPR and PBS this includes you). Please don’t ‘balance’ the truth with an outright, calculated lie, and call it objective reporting or interviewing,” former NPR VP Bill Buzenberg commented.
Progressive CNN White House correspondent John Harwood and left-wing commentator Jay Rosen also cooed over the article. They previously praised NBC’s Lester Holt when he proclaimed earlier this year that “fairness is overrated” in journalism.
“I think it’s become clear that fairness is overrated … The idea that we should always give two sides equal weight and merit does not reflect the world we find ourselves in,” Holt asserted.
Nightly News anchor @LesterHoltNBC accepts Edward R. Murrow Award and proclaims "fairness is overrated," insists it's not necessary to "always give two sides equal weight and merit" pic.twitter.com/IwI6yA7DAF
— Kyle Drennen (@kjdrennen) March 31, 2021
Conservatives and others on social media strongly disagree with the leftist journalist’s premise:
Yes, only one sided propaganda to feel safe in their bubble and never have to challenge their thoughts with conflicting opinions. Different thoughts are scary!
— Jacob Davison (@JDDavison93) October 18, 2021
Yup!
(plus some others 😉— 𝓢𝓾𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓡𝓪𝓸 (@SushantRao) October 17, 2021
When you care more about promoting your own beliefs than telling the truth , you’re no longer able to call yourself a journalist
— Ace Football Analytics (@js_ace_football) October 18, 2021
This is the greatest gaslighting post all year. 👌
— Rockentowsky (@grendel_the) October 18, 2021
The good news is that you and others who prescribe to this journalistic ideal ALWAYS know which side is telling the truth and which is lying so that you can just give us the true news, as you see it. Thanks for saving me the time of deciding for myself!
— Timm Matthews (@TimmMatthews1) October 18, 2021
And so ends any semblance of honesty in journalism. We knew this to be true but it’s still shocking to hear it said out loud.
— FALLEN ↪️ ℹ️ ✝️🍸 (@andy_fields1) October 18, 2021
If it is, then our society is truly doomed.
— Hey berto (@Heyberto) October 18, 2021
Showing your true colors 💯 pic.twitter.com/WRx2h0sWjq
— DannyPEACE (@Dan62993600) October 18, 2021
The problem is… when your “side” ends up being wrong, your tribalism keeps you from admitting it and you go from news to propaganda.
— The Real Truth Hurtz (@real_hurtz) October 18, 2021
Oh! So now there’s this new strategy that pretends to assume that mainstream journalists, in some bizarro universe, have been equally fair to “Rs & Ds” all this time. How clever! Here’s a big fat wink 🥴
— Minikesa (@Minikesa1) October 18, 2021
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