A lot of ink and electrons have been spent in the last 6 years on the decay of Main Stream Media outlets. From Judith Miller inflated WMD reports,to Faux News cozying up to the extreme right wing and putting on of their own in the White House, both sides of the great American political divide agree that the news media has failed the nation.
Tip of the hat to Crooks and Liars. Crossposted to Ruins of Empire.
Now the one place that has bucked the trend, PBS (even after years of internal and external attacks by the Bush and his followers), focuses on what went wrong with the media, in their new Frontline expose, News War. This is a must see for all who want to understand what really happened inside America's newsrooms and how the Administration pushed, pulled, and cajoled to get its way. It is also an example of what the MSM should look like, but does not.
Part I and II are online, more is sure to come.
UPDATE: Hat Tip to carneasadaburrito, programs times below;
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News War: Secrets, Sources & Spin (Part II)
Feb. 20, 2007 at 9pm
The series continues with a look at the legal jeopardy faced by a number of journalists. Correspondent Lowell Bergman interviews reporters facing jail for refusing to reveal their sources and asks how much the press can reveal about secret government programs in the war on terror without jeopardizing national security. FRONTLINE examines how much of this battle is politics and whether such reporting actually harms national security. (more »)
News War: What's Happening to the News
Feb. 27, 2007 at 9pm
(90 min) The third part of News War puts viewers on the front lines of an epic battle over the future of news. Correspondent Lowell Bergman talks to network executives, journalists, Wall Street analysts, bloggers, and key players at Google and Yahoo! who are all battling for survival and market dominance in a rapidly changing world of news. FRONTLINE also goes inside the embattled newsroom of The Los Angeles Times. (more »)
News War: Stories From A Small Planet
Mar. 27, 2007 at 9pm
The fourth hour of News War looks at media around the globe to reveal the international forces that influence journalism and politics in the U.S. The lead story focuses on the new Arab media and its role in both mitigating and exacerbating the clash between the West and Islam. It explores Al Jazeera's growing influence around the world -- and its pending launch of a new English-language service to be broadcast in the United States.