I think we've all been impressed with CNN's Campbell Brown and her insistence on calling out the hypocrites out on the carpet on "Election Center," especially over the past few weeks. I know I have.
The NY Times has a profile on Campbell today, and it's apparent her awakening has led her not only to a better brand of journalism (IMHO), but to higher ratings.
It's also nice to see another smart woman on cable news in control of the facts and taking no B.S. from the spin doctors, the candidates, and the many opinionated males who often rank in the pecking order on these networks.
More after the jump.
Link to NY Times profile of Campbell Brown
Here's the money quote from Campbell:
"As journalists, and certainly for me over the last few years, we’ve gotten overly obsessed with parity, especially when we’re covering politics," Ms. Brown said. "We kept making sure each candidate got equal time — to the point that it got ridiculous in a way."
"So when you have Candidate A saying the sky is blue, and Candidate B saying it’s a cloudy day, I look outside and I see, well, it’s a cloudy day," she said. "I should be able to tell my viewers, ‘Candidate A is wrong, Candidate B is right.’ And not have to say, ‘Well, you decide.’ Then it would be like I’m an idiot. And I’d be treating the audience like idiots."
AMEN! I don't claim that Democrats, progressives, or the left has the right answers all the time (although I do believe they do the vast majority of the time), so what Campbell's saying doesn't necessarily mean she has to be partisan per se. That's not what she's aiming for.
As an avid viewer of TV news, blog reader and poster, and reader of newspapers (kind of sad newspapers came up third there) I have always been struck that reporters, who are knowledgeable about so much about politics and policy, almost never offer significant push back when it is apparent an interviewee is mis-stating facts or just ouitright lying. With rare exception, no one calls "BULLSHIT!"
Campbell's quote is refreshing.
The goal of the news is not to be unbiased and objective. It is to report the facts of a story - the truth - objectively. If you work for a scandal rag and the goal is to JUST sell papers or increase ratings, or if a network has an ideological slant, then those types of operations have their place, but they don't serve the functions we all want hard news to deliver: timely reporting of important stories, investigating stories hidden from the public view, speaking directly to, and questioning of, people and institutions of power.
I'm glad Campbell has taken that route and can only hope she drags Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, and the rest of CNN with her.
UPDATE: Give Campbell some love - send her an e-mail at CNN Election Center
CNN Election Center Link