Why journalism is increasingly shortsighted, unreasoned and selfish

During my time in Washington, the quantity of information has increased but its quality has decreased. The explosion of advocacy organizations, interest groups and “think tanks”—along with the growth of cable television and the Internet—has bloated the supply of studies, factoids, sound bites and blog posts. The decline in quality reflects the polarization of political elites, of both left and right. More raw information flows through political or philosophical filters that screen out facts and arguments that do not fit the approved viewpoint or advance “the cause.” (Note, however, that the polarization mainly affects political elites, not the general public. I agree with political scientist Morris Fiorina of Stanford University, who argues that most Americans are more “pragmatic” than “ideological.”)…

Now journalism is a jumble. Just who is a reporter and who is an advocate is often blurred. Some journalism is openly partisan. Hardly anyone values anonymity. Reporters and editors have become multimedia self-promoters. They blog and tweet; they do TV and radio. Although career advancement and political bias have always influenced journalism, their impact has increased. The “marketplace of ideas” often resembles a demolition derby—victory goes to the most aggressive.