I never ever write these sorts of letters. I'm sort of a "if you don't like it, turn the dial" type. Or better yet, if you don't like it, there's a great chance to get outdoors. But this morning I was listening to Washington Journal in the car and was astounded that they gave Jason Mattera 45 minutes of uninterrupted time.
My letter is below the fold, not that anyone is going to read it. It would be nice if they knew some of us noticed that their Overton Window is moving right.
Hello Washington Journal,
I like to listen to your radio program to get news in the morning. I find that your program is quite balanced. Your guests are invariably well informed, and even when they have a political point of view, they tend to be reasonable and honest. I like to hear about a variety of topics, and not just just the crisis du jour.
So I wonder what was accomplished by sullying your stage today with Jason Mattera. This is a young man who embodies the coarsening and devaluing of our public discourse. He ambushes public servants, asks them questions and then shouts down their answers. His questions are catch-22, "gotcha" type questions, not honest requests for information.
I do not argue with his right to do as he wishes; I only feel sad that my only truly respected news outlet is placing him equal to Gene Karpinski, George Pataki, or Ruth Wedgwood, all truly experts in something, anything. This young man is an expert in what? He seems to make a game out of finding fault with all things Obama, or all things liberal. If I want that sort of mindless spin there are numerous outlets I can turn to, such as Bill OReilly, Glenn Beck, the entire am radio dial, etc.
Please give more time instead to your wonderful young documentarians on both sides of the aisle. These young people are striving to learn and to inform others. I only pray that they are our politicans of the future, and not Mr. Mattera.