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I finished reading Bernie Goldberg's Arrogance today. It's a nice little read, but I have the same compliant with this book that I had from his prior one. It's full of snappy lines, and I'm even sympathetic to some of his points, but there's next to no documentation to back up what he says. No footnotes, no endnotes, no references, no sources, nada.
Here's an example
The antigun people don't like anything about guns. Guns do not give them peace of mind. Just the opposite. And the vast majority of mainstream media people--certainly those who work in the biggest, most important newrooms in the country--fall into this antigun category. To a lot of them, guns are destructive and evil. Period. In fact, they think there are no credible arguments on the other side, just the irrational rants of all those crazy "gun nuts."
Arrogance, (pp187-188, 1st edition)
It's a great quote. Too bad he doesn't give any sources, makes overly broad generalizations and does much the same as the people he critizes.
The issue of bias is a tough one. I happen to think that there is a bias in the media. One that cuts many different ways and you have to pay attention to what is being said as well as backstopping anything that might sound a little suspicious with a little judicious research. So, when I listen to NPR, I expect a tilt to the left. And a bend to the right should I happen to catch any Rush Limbaugh. I read as much as I can, preferrably written by people who may not agree with me, but all of which make me think. I figure that should set me up to be able to judge for myself as to what's going on.
Posted by Casper at November 20, 2003 06:32 PM