"Reliable Sources"and Pretend Media Criticism
Journalism prof Christian Christensen of Bahcesehir University in Istanbul, Turkey uinmasks the illusion of critique on CNN "Reliable Sources." I'm often amazed by the simplistic analysis provided on the show, which could cause the untrained eye to think that Howard Kurtz and Co. really are taking on their employers, colleagues and the news media in general. Kurtz never takes on deeper journalistic routines or the status quo in general. When Jayson Blair was caught plagiarizing at the New York Times, it was Kurtz who injected race unduly early on, raising the question of whether a middle-aged white guy would have been fired more readily. Given the 12+ years of plagiarism and fraud Jack Kelley managed at USA Today, as well as the general quality of journalism and critique on Reliable Sources, the emphasis on Blair's race -- admittedly, it has to be taken as part of the mix -- has to be among the exhibits indicating the general lack of critical awareness on the show. Those are some of my beefs. Christensen has quantified the problem, examining 56 transcripts from 2003/2004 that show:
The real problem with "Reliable Sources" is that it purports to be "critical" about the news business, all the while acting as a veiled cheerleader for a corporate media system that has surrendered to the Bush administration over everything from WMDs in Iraq to social security. The genius of the program is that it manages to give the impression of critique while staying completely milquetoast: the guests say how reporting was bad, how editors failed and generally give the news media a black eye. The logic of the system, however, is never questioned: critiques are almost always at the individual, not the systemic level. It is pre-packaged and commodified dissent.
Christensen, noting that CNN is dropping Crossfire, suggests that "Realian Sources" should be next. That might be drastic, but perhaps a more diverse group led by someone other than Kurtz, media reporter for the Washington Post, might show how true media criticism is done.
10:29:00 AM 
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