I was just on national radio again ! (Last time) In my moments of weakness (i.e.: when I turn on NPR) I sometimes listen to this show “On Point” which takes a more thoughtful and in-depth look at current events than the headline-driven news. Today’s topic: is there a credibility gap in the mainstream media? Short answer: well, duh.
It was actually pretty cool that one of the guests asked me to stay on the line and questioned why I would trust some crazy people on the Internet instead of professional information gatherers. I spoke about the authenticity of blogs’ first-person voices and the fact that we are unable to trust the media when even the New York Times parroted the Pentagon’s B.S. about Iraq (OK, not in so many words). I talked about the value of openly-partisan press and the lie of “objectivity.” After that point, I had trouble getting a word in edgewise which was very frustrating. (I noticed that a female guest later on the program had the same problem. Grr.)
The last word I wanted to have was this: Do you trust your friends? Do you listen to them more than you do a stranger? Do you trust them more than a TV news anchor or an actor in a commercial? I know which bloggers are my friends, and I don’t trust institutions that rely on advertising revenue to give me unbiased facts.
So kudos to WBUR for putting the show’s archive online immediately. (Hint, hint, WUNC.) Click here to listen to it in your choice of audio formats. I start at 27 minutes in, and go for about 3 minutes. If you listen to it, let me know what you think.