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Journalists Versus A Thing Called Life.

What’s wrong with journalism? The Juan Williams firing and the responses from journalistic elites gives a perfect example of why so many publications are dying. Here’s Jen Reeves, an associate journalism professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia, explaining why it was appropriate for NPR to fire Williams:

“It’s confusing to the general public what journalism is anymore. Our job as journalists is to question the culture and present it to the general public to think about. But instead we’re constantly [playing up people’s fears].”

“The way Williams presented himself was at a level of personal opinion that, as a journalist, is not appropriate.”.

Heeeellllloooooooo – Since when has the press NOT PLAYED UP ON PEOPLES FEARS???????? Anyone else notice that virtually all the stories reported in the press are of a negative nature, of problems within society such as famine disease, or wars? Hurricanes? Tsunamis? Global Warming Anyone?????

I’m just amazed that these supposedly smart people didn’t have the foresight to take the topic that Juan Williams presented, the natural human condition of having irrational fears, and discussing the topic and ways of dealing with and conquering them. But Noooooo, they were just so stupidly politically correct that they let a wonderful journalistic opportunity go to waste, and fired Williams instead. And it’s insane, because part of the problem here is the news industry relies on  the rational AND irrational fears in order to attract attention to their product.

PS. Anyone not notice the fear NPR exudes when they are reporting about the imminent Republican takeover of Congress (by democratic means BTW).

NPR Versus Credibility.

In trying to justify the firing of Juan Williams, NPR CEO Vivian Schiller says this:

“… NPR’s ethics code [states]: ‘In appearing on TV or other media. … NPR journalists should not express views they would not air in their role as an NPR journalist. They should not participate in shows … that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis.”

“More fundamentally, ‘In appearing on TV or other media including electronic Web-based forums, NPR journalists should not express views they would not air in their role as an NPR journalist.'”

Naturally, being the information age, when anything that any other NPR journalists has said that represents “punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis” can be Googled… Well, lets just say bloggers are going to town exposing NPR’s management as the hypocrites that they are. I’ll link to the bloggers I come across as the day goes on.

Here’s Ann Althouse.

Here’s Reason’s Michael Moynihan.

NPR Is Racist!

There.

I said it.

‘Cause you know that if it was FOX that fired him, no matter the reason, the left would be making that charge against that news channel.