The Patriot Post® · Journalists Shun Journalism
The primary reason Mark Alexander began this humble non-Beltway publication way back in 1996 was Leftmedia bias. Standing against and rebutting the leftist propaganda posing as news is our raison d'être, and we’ve covered that bias a few times. As if you couldn’t believe your own eyes and ears, recent research backs up the leftist bent of the mainstream media.
A recent Pew Research study contains some fascinating insight into the world of journalism and what journalists think about it all. We’ll highlight and respond to some of it.
More than half of journalists surveyed (57%) say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the prospect of press restrictions being imposed in the United States. And about seven-in-ten journalists (71%) say made-up news and information is a very big problem for the country, higher than the 50% of U.S. adults who say the same. At the same time, four-in-ten journalists say that news organizations are generally doing a bad job managing or correcting misinformation.
There’s an awful lot packed into this one paragraph. First, much of the restriction on the press has been imposed at the hands of the press because of the second part about what is considered to be “misinformation.”
Anyone remember that pre-2020 election blockbuster about Hunter Biden’s laptop and all the revelations about pay-to-play corruption involving Joe Biden, China, and Ukraine? At least the 81 million* folks who voted for him probably don’t remember because they were never told — at least not before the election. The New York Post authenticated and reported on that information only to have the Leftmedia either ignore it or “fact-check” it into oblivion. Big Tech companies suppressed its reach in collusion with these Leftmedia players. (They’re still doing it regarding that damning voicemail proving Joe Biden lied about Hunter Biden.)
In other words, the New York Post had its press freedom restricted. This is repeated practically daily because of the incestuous relationship between Leftmedia “fact-checkers” and leftist Big Tech censors. Somehow, we doubt this is what journalists responding to Pew had in mind given that most “journalists” are actually activists peddling misinformation for Democrat Party propaganda mills. They’re perfectly happy to suppress anything Republican.
Don’t take our word for it. Take the words of the journalists. Again from Pew:
A little over half of journalists surveyed (55%) say that in reporting the news, every side does not always deserve equal coverage, greater than the share who say journalists should always strive to give every side equal coverage (44%).
Why wasn’t Hunter’s laptop reported? The “other side” doesn’t deserve equal coverage. Why are climate scientists who disagree with the Party Line excluded from stories? Why do doctors who think mutilating teenagers to make them the opposite sex is child abuse get ignored or canceled? Why do any number of other legitimate and mainstream American viewpoints — in some cases, views held by virtually every American until five minutes ago — never make it into newspapers or cable shows unless it’s to deride normal people as mouth-breathing flat-earthers?
Because “journalists” don’t think there are two (legitimate) sides to every story. They think “fairness is overrated.”
With that in mind, get a load of his howler from Pew:
On the other hand, journalists express wide support for another long-standing norm of journalism: keeping their own views out of their reporting. Roughly eight-in-ten journalists surveyed (82%) say journalists should do this, although there is far less consensus over whether journalists meet this standard. Just over half (55%) think journalists are largely able to keep their views out of their reporting, while 43% say journalists are often unable to.
As just one example out of millions, consider any Associated Press story regarding the Capitol riot on January 6. Each story dutifully uses the word “insurrection” as if that is an unbiased and factual description. Who calls it an “insurrection”? Democrats with Trump Derangement Syndrome. And Liz Cheney, but we repeat ourselves.
In the nearly 26 years we’ve been in business, we’ve written countless words calling out so-called objective media reporters for conveying their own opinions disguised as news. It’s small comfort that just 43% of Pew respondents were willing to acknowledge this colossal failure among journalists.
We could go on ad nauseam, but the bottom line is that the Fourth Estate is a Third Rate mess.