Media Criticism

Billy Dennis had a great post the other day. That's not to say I agree or disagree with him in his assessment, but I thoroughly enjoy the premise of the public objectively evaluating the performance of the media. I say that even when the barbs are directed at me or my station.

Freedom of the Press is a great thing, but a critical component of it is the public being good consumers of it. If you go to a restaurant and get bad service, you don't go back and tell your friends about it. Likewise, if you get a good meal at a good price with good service, you are likely to tell people about it.

Billy also had this post, which I liked. It reminded me of a piece in the American Journalism Review looking at what lessons (if any) journalists can learn from the Daily Show. Lesson #1: We need to be more willing to call B.S. when we see it. The challenge is to do it in a way that doesn't suggest bias. Still, it's good food for thought.