Monday, January 24, 2005

Major Headline discovered at top of news organization's website

Of course, to get the real story, one has to read between the lines, or in many cases, look at the "Sub-headline" - let's take a look at today's New York Times, the venerable news publication that has eroded into a mushy stew under its next-generation leadership.

The big headline is about a car bomb in Iraq; of course, since this is a negative development in the war on terror, the times dutifully picks up the trumpet to make this the premier item in its communication agenda. The text below the headline, though, is the real news item, which is that one of the key terrorists behind the Iraqi "Insurgency" bombs has been captured. This development is far more significant than the deployment of another bomb, and yet it receives only marginal and secondary mention in the "Headline".

Let's face it: war is hell, which we all know, and yes, bombs are events worthy of news attention. However, the side that you're rooting for is what comes out of the news you run and the way you run it. While the Times makes no secret of its opposition to Bush and the Iraq war from within its editorial page, this position winds up permeating all their stories, as demonstrated in today's thinly-veiled version of "Bush is wrong, and we'll tout that point in any which way we can".

Unconvinced? Try another story: "Democrats vow to resist GOP majority in new Congress". The sub-headline text that opens the story is that "The Senate minority leader and others criticized the G.O.P. on Iraq, Social Security, healthcare, the budget, and taxes."

Okay, it's a story about the agenda facing the Democrats - fair enough, but wouldn't it be in the interests of "Balance" to add a comment or two from the Republican side which is so hugely significant in this story? Don't bother; I've read it to save you the time, and not one Republican is interviewed. By framing the debate in this way, The Times makes it clear to its audience that the Democrats are the "Good Guys", and the Republicans are the "Bad Guys" - and again, this is all well and good for purposes of partisan reporting, but a publication such as the New York Times built its reputation on being more or less even-handed in its coverage of events. Alas, in the last few years, they've all but abandoned that pretense.

posted by ET @ 1:44 PM