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How times changed, it used to be a journalist's job to uncover things like this - viz. the Watergate scandal, the Clinton's Whitewater controversy - but somethi

How times changed, it used to be a journalist's job to uncover things like this - viz. the Watergate scandal, the Clinton's Whitewater controversy - but something broke somewhere down the line and this type of digging journalism was relegated to the sidelines and labelled with epithets like 'right wing grifter business'. You may not agree with the message bearer's views but in the end it is the message he bears which counts. In this case the message is clear, a number of influential people within Google is intent on using its reach to influence the political process.

eesmith 7y ago
This is a highly idealized view of journalism. There never was the era that you describe. Only some journalists are (honest) investigative journalists. Most journalists are not investigative journalists. There are even some journalists who write exaggerated or even untruthful news stories. Quoting from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism : > Yellow journalism and the yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism. By extension, the term yellow journalism is used today as a pejorative to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical fashion. The term 'yellow journalism' is over a century old, so it isn't like it's a new practice. It's also called 'tabloid journalism', and it continues to this day. As a case in point, Watergate involved felonies, and "resulted in 69 government officials being charged and 48 being found guilty". The Whitewater controversy, despite three different inquiries, "found insufficient evidence linking them with the criminal conduct of others related to the land deal". (Both quotes from Wikipedia.) As such, the Whitewater controversy is better known for the controversy - which can be influenced by yellow journalism - than any underlying criminal or even ethical/moral issues. I think Scahill's "Dirty Wars" - critical of Obama's foreign military doctrine - and his further criticism of Obama's pressure to keep Yemeni journalist Abdulelah Haider Shaye imprisoned - would have been a better example of solid investigative journalism against a recent Democratic president.

eesmith 7y ago

This is a highly idealized view of journalism. There never was the era that you describe. Only some journalists are (honest) investigative journalists. Most journalists are not investigative journalists. There are even some journalists who write exaggerated or even untruthful news stories. Quoting from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism : > Yellow journalism and the yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism. By extension, the term yellow journalism is used today as a pejorative to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical fashion. The term 'yellow journalism' is over a century old, so it isn't like it's a new practice. It's also called 'tabloid journalism', and it continues to this day. As a case in point, Watergate involved felonies, and "resulted in 69 government officials being charged and 48 being found guilty". The Whitewater controversy, despite three different inquiries, "found insufficient evidence linking them with the criminal conduct of others related to the land deal". (Both quotes from Wikipedia.) As such, the Whitewater controversy is better known for the controversy - which can be influenced by yellow journalism - than any underlying criminal or even ethical/moral issues. I think Scahill's "Dirty Wars" - critical of Obama's foreign military doctrine - and his further criticism of Obama's pressure to keep Yemeni journalist Abdulelah Haider Shaye imprisoned - would have been a better example of solid investigative journalism against a recent Democratic president.