Mercifully, there is only one week of campaigning remaining. Not that politics isn’t engaging; I just haven’t heard an original thought coming from the candidates, reporters, or commentators (with the possible exception of Dick Morris) in weeks.
Journalists aren’t doing much real reporting on the political campaigns these days, opines the Columbia Journalism Review, because technological advances and 24-hour news stations “have reporters on what amounts to a constant deadline, processing a never-ending torrent of digital spin.”
The editorial continues: “It’s often debatable who is actually framing the stories — the journalist or the campaigns. The poor reporter out on the trail, under orders to break news and remain “objective,” usually doesn’t have time to reflect, or even to really report in a way that gets beyond the spin. The spinners know this, and exploit it.” This system encourages busy reporters — even good ones — to lean on someone else’s version of the truth instead of assembling a more complete version of their own. In this echo chamber, where reporters talk to the same sources and to one another, storylines rapidly calcify.”
–James Jewell
rooftop 