Your "liberal" media
April 14, 2009 11:33 am ET by Jamison Foser
Ever wonder why your letter to the New York Times wasn't published? Editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal explains:
I'll be honest: Because of the nature of our readers, letter writers who defend Republican, conservative or right-wing positions on many topics have a higher shot at being published.
I'll be honest: That seems to say something about the nature of the New York Times, not the paper's readers.
And it reminds me of the Appleton Post-Crescent, which drew criticism a few years ago for an editorial that solicited pro-Bush letters to the editor.
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People take this labeling thing too far, where they must attach a (D) or (R) to every person and to every Policy opinion. So that's what the New York Times guy said they do there, they label letters from readers as either (D) or (R)? That's losing sight of whatever is being said or written, losing sight of it behind the label of (D) or (R). That's too bad, that's actually a great problem in and of itself in the media, or anywhere else in the Public Forum where Political opinions and perhaps Policy ideas are exchanged and debated. People who listen not to what's being said, but to whether it's (D) or (R)... that's the same thing, the same problem, as listening to people with the sole intention of seeing if they agree with you or not, and then allowing them their opinion based upon that agreement or disagreement, and based then upon the label you would attach to them, either (D) or (R)...
In truth, that's not listening at all, and the talk that might ensue is not discussion or debate: it's just mindless "us versus them" chatter, and arrives at nothing but antagonism and conflict... no new ideas are born in such a barren place, where there are only labels, and nothing but "us versus them" behind those labels.