Much is written about media bias and the inability of multiple mainstream news outlets to properly distinguish between their news and editorial departments. The problem is certainly not confined to the national press; it filters all the way down into local media regularly.
A local paper I once wrote for went above and beyond to make sure every reader knew that my columns were an expression of my personal views and did not reflect the editorial position of the paper, its staff, management, or owners. The multiple disclaimers were almost comical to me. All that seemed to be lacking was a biohazard warning. Meanwhile, the "objective" news pages of that same publication would be dripping with bias crimes of commission and omission.
But there's another issue with opinion writing in media that is often overlooked, and that is the stunning lack of uniqueness, creativity, or ingenuity amongst the commentariat. Preeminent opinion columnists are primarily cookie cutter drones delivering the talking points of the two political tribes.
I don't have to guess what any big-name opinion columnist is going to say about a particular issue – all I have to do is know where the two political parties stand on the issue and I can write their column for them. It's the tribal parrot syndrome and, for my money, it's killing quality editorial content.
There's exists such a paralyzing fear of offending the party that promotes your work (which ultimately pays your bills) that otherwise gifted writers don't author what they think; they author what the current party line is. It precludes any crossover compromise, neutrality, and even consistency.
Take a couple hilarious, and yet truly depressing examples.
Now, Arwa is just the most recent to be caught doing this, but it happens all the time. Columnist Jonah Goldberg, who in my estimation remains one of the more creative and consistent opinion journalists out there, recently responded to the Rep. George Santos embarrassment. If you haven't heard, the newly elected Republican has been exposed and humiliated for falsifying several characteristics about himself on the campaign trail, including being Jewish. He said he didn't mean he was Jewish, just "Jew-ish." Seriously.
Goldberg agreed that Santos was "a total embarrassment" who "has no place in public life." But he didn't stop there. The columnist went on and dared to acknowledge the hypocrisy of his fellow opinion journalists raging over the scandal.
And guess what happened? Right on cue, MSNBC's pretend intellectual, supposedly wonkish commentator Chris Hayes, jumped into the fray – not to offer an honest affirmation of Goldberg's point. No, he was there to toe the party line.
"Normal politician bs-ing?" This is the state of high-brow opinion journalism these days? Rip the lies of the other party to shreds, but give a pass to your own side's?
Consider that President Biden has:
- Lied about being the first in his family to go to college.
- Lied about his scholarship.
- Lied about his class rank.
- Lied about having 3 undergraduate degrees.
- Lied about being a professor.
- Lied about his wife being killed by a drunk driver.
- Lied about his son dying while serving in Iraq.
None of that is "normal politician bs-ing," where a candidate promises the world and then underdelivers once in office. No, these are all objective, falsifiable claims, each of which have been proven objectively false.
Why the fear over acknowledging that George Santos and Joe Biden are both pathological liars who should be nowhere near a position in the public trust?
I suppose if you're convinced that one political party or another is leading us into the pit of Hell, it makes sense why you'd be willing to cover for members of the only alternative. But personally, I think the tribalism is old and played.
Keep your hacks and give me opinion columnists with the guts to be honest, creative, and courageous.
