Monday, June 05, 2006

Blindfolded by Real Power

Nixon's cover-up of a "third rate burglary" in 1972 with his puny Presidential prerogatives at the the Watergate apartments was a crime; but the feat of making seven and perhaps ten million deaths disappear was a demonstration of real power, beside which Nixon's was nothing...

Nor is the answer to this problem simply adding more conservative media outlets to "balance" things out. There's no reason to think that honesty is an attribute of a particular political orientation. Two versions of a story don't necessarily mean that either one is true. What's needed is a way to reform our organs of sight and escape from a world where practically every terrorist attack is prefaced with a denial that a particular community is a threat; or that taxes can be cut and spending upped without consequences. What's needed is some way out of the maze of lies, not to get at the liars, because liars never pay the price, but to get away from the lie.

Absolutely spot-on insightful commentary from Wretchard at his Belmont Club. Solomon2's partial answer is to concentrate on the personal failings of dishonest, untruthful, deceitful, or wilfully blind reporters and editors. Ad hominem attacks upon others is generally frowned upon, but why should anyone buy into the words of proven purveyors of perverted ideas? If you can back it up with factual examples, discredit and even insult them by name.

Sure, we risk someone getting angry and taking a swipe at us. The plus is that in the long run this approach should ensure greater personal responsibility and accuracy in journalism, politics, and academia.

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