The cover of the February 27 TIME magazine featured Vice President Dick Cheney, questioning his influence over presidential policy in the Bush White House. Here’s what the teaser line said:
From the Iraq war to torture to energy policy, DICK CHENEY stubbornly clings to what he believes. But how much does he still have the President’s ear?
Wow. I wish those darned elected officials would quit clinging to their beliefs! Don’t they know they are corrupting this country? The further atrocity here is that Cheney does so “stubbornly”.
I read this while in the bathroom and so perhaps I am overly philosophical on the subject but, doesn’t society traditionally mark one who sticks to their beliefs, even when the going gets tough, as virtuous? Or I suppose it is only noble to do so when ones beliefs coincide with your own?
This is just one of many, many examples that show how editorialized the news media really is. In fact, most news stories as they appear in TIME and NEWSWEEK are editorialized. There is an inherent bias that exists.
I don’t have a problem with full magazines devoted to opinions and commentary. After all, I don’t think I have ever written an unbiased piece on political subjects either. The difference is that TIME and NEWSWEEK claim to do so under the guise of compelling news. Yet, this is not compelling news at all. And TIME magazine is geared toward the neophyte political reader who is easily influence by mass media reporting. To me, this is a disgusting show of media ethics, purveyed in a subtle form.
When did this become okay?
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