Gary Dickson need look no further than misguided editorial policy for the reason the media is no longer trusted by the public. Here”s a recent example:
Cynthia Parkhill wrote about how she thought farmer”s markets should accept food stamps. In response, a letter-writer claimed farmers have good reasons for not accepting them, but didn”t elaborate. The editor responded with a disclaimer:
“Editor”s note: Cynthia Parkhill”s piece concerning food stamps being accepted at farmers” markets was a personal column expressing her opinion on the opinion page, not a news article requiring balance and an absence of bias.”
Well-written commentaries adhere to standards of critical thinking:
1) Make your points.
2) Anticipate reasoned counter-arguments and refute them with strong arguments to support your side.
3) Avoid logical fallacies, such as the straw man, shifting the burden of proof, and refrain from name-calling.
Ms. Parkhill”s piece omitted step 2. The editor should have asked her to correct that oversight by describing reasons farmers” markets don”t accept food stamps. Then she could have refuted those reasons to support her argument in favor. Without this argument and counter-argument, readers wonder whether farmers have good reasons not to accept food stamps ? perhaps they are forbidden to or there”s some technical reason. This indolent editorial policy left readers uninformed and frustrated.
The editor needn”t agree or disagree; just require a well-reasoned argument prior to publication.
Sadly, it”s necessary to point out that “Commentary” does not excuse contributors from telling outright lies. I”m not referring to Ms. Parkhill here.
Here”s a simple illustration.
Falsehood: The Moon is made of green cheese.
Opinion: The Moon is more beautiful than Saturn.
Fact: Moon rocks contain iron and silica.
A worthy publication wouldn”t print an opinion declaring “the Moon is made of green cheese”, and would publish a correction if that claim somehow made it into print. That”s how newspapers earned the public”s trust in the Good Old Days that Mr. Dickson recalls so fondly.
Recently “balanced reporting” has damaged the credibility of news sources. A reporter quotes a geologist on the composition of Moon rocks then covers the “other side” of the controversy by interviewing a lunatic (pun intended) who insists the Moon is made of cheese and we”ve been taken in by a vast sinister conspiracy involving NASA, the Discovery Channel, and the Museum of Natural History.
The media should look at its own standards before blaming bloggers for declining trust.
Roberta Actor-Thomas
Lakeport
