Conservatives Wish Journalism Didn't Exist
Written by Eric Boehlert
Published
The main difference between liberal and conservative media critics is that the latter would prefer that journalism just didn't exist. That's why conservative media criticism is less concerned with making reporting better than it is with making sure reporters don't ask big business pesky questions.
Don't believe me? Take a look at Dan Gainor's piece at FoxNews.com, in which Gainor goes after liberal billionaire George Soros and the “widespread influence the controversial billionaire has on the mainstream media.”
One of Gainor's big beefs with Soros is that he supports investigative outlets, such as ProPublica and The Center for Public Integrity, which produce journalism adhering to a “liberal” agenda.
Writes Gainor [emphasis added]:
The ProPublica stories are thoroughly researched by top-notch staffers who used to work at some of the biggest news outlets in the nation. But the topics are almost laughably left-wing.
So the journalism itself is fine, but the subject matters always leans too far to the left. But what are the supposedly left-wing subject matters that Gainor takes issue with from outlets that receive Soros money? Below, are a list of subjects he singled out:
-“climate change”
-“immigration”
-“the evils of big companies”
-“foreclosure industry”
-Anything making “the military look bad”
-“prisoners at Guantanamo Bay”
Nor did Gainor approve of alleged “attacks” on the following:
-“oil drilling”
-“gas companies”
-“oil companies”
-“health care industry”
-“coal industry”
-“payday loans”
This isn't media criticism so much as it is conservatives expressing dismay that journalists are doing their jobs and asking tough questions to people in power.