Friday, August 19, 2005

Rummy's questions and the News

There is a discussion of the decline and fall of the Dinosaur Media going on at Press think.

Here is my diagnosis:

It is not even political/war reporting that is the problem.

Even on relatively content neutral technical subjects the press is hopeless.

It is not left/right bias. The press lacks a certain fundamental curiosity. i.e. Rummys questions. What do we know we know? What do we know about our ignorance? Where are we ignorant about our ignorance?

The press wants to be authorative. It wants to project an air of certainty. That leads to projecting an air of blindness.

Reporters need to respect their ignorance.

And yet so many people in this country and its press made fun of that bit of wisdom so fundamental that it trancends politics.

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