Dangerously Responsible TV
by S.T. Karick
Issue 108 - May 28, 2008

Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales exemplified the horrified reaction by saying debate moderators Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolous "turned in shoddy, despicable performances."

The rest of the leftist pseudointelligentsia did likewise, although audiences did not find it shoddy and despicable enough to turn it off—on the contrary, it garnered the highest audience of any debate during this election cycle.

Republicans, of course, are used to entertaining debate "questions" that openly attack them and their positions, but for Democrats, used to a relatively free ride from the goofball leftists that make up almost the entire U.S. news journalism profession today, such an innovation is appalling.

It's interesting that neither the politicians nor their media amanuenses never seem to realize that such a free ride is sure to make Democrats weaker campaigners than they would otherwise be, and the hostility toward Republicans must surely improve their campaigning ability. Let's not tell them.

The AP story provides the amusing details of the furor over the ABC newsers' appalling descent into behavior dangerously resembling responsible journalism.

S. T. Karnick is editor of The American Culture, where this first appeared