Politics and the Media

I was a little surprised today when I read that Tony Snow will become the new spokesperson for President Bush. As many of you know, Tony Snow is a news commentator for Fox News and also hosts a political radio show. When I first heard his name floated as a replacement for Scott McClellan I thought it was wishful thinking but apparently Bush wanted him to the be the next voice of his administration.

At first blush I have concerns that taking a reporter and moving him to the other side blurs the lines between those making the news and those reporting the news. There have been other crossovers but usually the spokesperson becomes a reporter. Think George Stephanopolous and we all know how that turned out. David Brinkley must be rolling over in his grave.

Then I realized that there already is a blur between politicians and the news networks and that hiring Tony Snow only confirms what everybody already suspected. Instead of reporting unbiased news stories, today's reporters want to be part of the story. They are activists who want to help shape public opinion and therefore public policy. And so they can either shape it working at Fox news or CNN or in the whitehouse. It's all part of the same game with the same goal just different sides of the field.

The problem with this new type of activists and politically charged media is that the average American doesn't really know who to trust or believe anymore. Most people are not politically motivated and they simply want the truth behind what is really going on in the world. Unfortunately, truth is hard to come by in the new media and that is why you see a decline in viewership and readership among the large networks and newspapers.

My suggestion is to watch more than one station and choose shows that cater to both liberals and conservatives. Don't just watch Fox News or CBS News but watch both. The internet can be helpful but don't just read conservative or just liberal websites. Even the best ones have an agenda and sometimes the truth is not part of that agenda. Reading multiple sites and watching different channels can help you be an informed citizen instead of a sucker in someone else's political game. And of course if all else fails you can always read the fetzer files to get the true scoop.