Partisan Press
Research Notes and Commentary:
The Rise of the New Partisan Press: Forward into the Past David Abrahamson Northwestern University d-abrahamson@northwestern.edu
Abstract Something may be happening to not only the central role of the press, but also to how the press itself conceives of that role. It can be argued that in just the last five to 10 years, the nonpartisan, disinterested model of mainstream journalism which dominated most of the 20th century has begun to erode. As a result, it is possible that the fundamental nature of the profession may be changing. Core professional questions are worth asking: Why is this return to partisanship occurring now? What are the historical antecedents? How does this fit in with society's typical expectations of the press? How should the still-independent media respond? How are journalistic standards being adhered to, undermined and/or redefined? What are the implications for the future of both journalism and journalism education?
Alarm bells in the night. The jarring sound of breaking glass. Oh, the horror! The rise of the new partisanship in the press in the last four or five years undermines the very core purposes of journalism. If you believe that the fundamental goal of journalism is to help bring people together in the creation of a democratic society, to supply, as John Courtney Murray argued, the consent of the governed, these must be troubling times.1 Experience and evidence from the last presidential election is certainly persuasive. A few items: One, New York Timesman Rick Lyman was ejected from Dick Cheney's entourage for being "all twisted in one direction".2 Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger, perhaps in defense, said that it was "other news outlets which enjoy their role as actors in the political theatre of the absurd".3 Addressing a panel last year that included Len Downie, Michael Kinsey, and Ethan Bonner, On the Media's Brooke Gladstone said, "We don't believe in objectivity any more. We know it isn't possible." 4 The New York Observer's response to CBS in response to the embarrassments of Rathergate was "Give up the ghost. Stop riding a dead horse. Come out of the closet. Drop this objectivity thing and take the only rational course imaginable to you. Turn CBS into an antidote for Fox News." 5 [Pause for effect.] Journal of Magazine and New Media Research Spring 2006, Vol. 8, No. 1
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