Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

My friend Jeff sent a link to this column, about the death of newspapers. I don't claim to know what percentage of the death and dying is attributable to biased reportage, but I doubt that it's insignificant. Think about it. Newspapers used to be in the business of reporting news. Opinions were reserved for the editorial and op-ed pages. Those who didn't care for the opinions would still have a reason to "take" the newspaper. But once bias (almost always progressive bias) began creeping into the reportage, people who wanted straight news no longer had a reason to take the newspaper. The entire thing had become propaganda. While those who share the newspaper's opinions might enjoy having their biases confirmed on a daily basis, many others did not, and opted out. I wonder sometimes whether publishers, editors, and reporters are smart enough to understand this. If not, then they're stupid, because it's quite simple. If so, then they must be making a conscious decision to be advocates first and reporters second. This, of course, undermines their credibility and hence destroys whatever authority they once had. Keith's Law: Authoritativeness is inversely proportional to partisanship. Journalists may be arrogant enough to think that this law doesn't apply to them, but it does. It applies to everyone, in every role.