Dear editor:
In the early 1900s, William Randolph Hearst created the largest newspaper business in the world. By the 1920s, one out of four Americans was reading a Hearst newspaper. If you ran for president, you better talk to Mr. Hearst, because he controlled the editorials and political news in his papers and had a huge influence on voters.
Today, many major media outlets continue to believe that a U.S. president should ask for the media's endorsement. In return, the president is expected to accept reporters and pundits inaccurate reports and speculation without calling them out.
The bias of organizations like The Associated Press, The New York Times, CNN and others who have attacked conservative presidents for many years has largely gone unchallenged. Presidents fumed privately about the press. But rarely challenged the media in public, for fear of retaliation ... until now.
Now there's a new reality. Yet the media have not shifted their thinking. Media corporations continue to destroy their own credibility by mixing journalism with opinion. Continuing to allow reporters to report without researching the facts, checking sources and adding opinions to the news is self destructive. Is the report factual or just opinion? It makes a difference. Here's some "breaking news:" The voters no longer look to the main stream media to influence their decision on who should be the president.
Our new president is justifiably questioning the media's impartiality. He challenges them and asks them to be fair. They respond by openly portraying opinions as "news." He responds by using changing technology to speak directly to the citizens.
The Sentinel-Record has a great set of "Core Values" (see Page 2A). Mr. Hussman says, "Impartiality means reporting, editing, and delivering the news honestly, fairly, objectively, and without personal opinion or bias. ... Impartiality is the greatest source of credibility."
Our country needs a credible Fourth Estate. It would be great if Mr. Hussman could get all news media outlets to adopt and practice his Core Values.
John Gallagher
Hot Springs Village
Editorial on 02/22/2017