I am not a fan of the Sunday pundit shows. I rarely watch them so I might see a segment or two presented on a website I visit. It was announced yesterday that Chuck Todd would take over for David Gregory on ‘Meet the Press’ on NBC. Giving ‘Meet the Press’ Gig to another non-journalist doesn’t change my negative view of Sunday pundit shows.
At least up until the 1990’s, these shows tried to give the viewer ‘both sides of the story’ and you could count on the host to ask tough questions. These days it is just an opportunity for the guest (normally a Republican or other conservative) to answer softball questions in between giving their latest talking points. There just is not journalism on these shows. They are just a long infomercial for the guest.
Facts Don’t Have A Political Slant – Journalists Need To Do More Fact Checking And Less Stenography
Toledo Blade columnist Marilou Johanek wrote a post about journalists letting their opinion into the stories they do. While I agree with the general idea of her article, there is something missing: Facts don’t have a political slant. What I feel is worse for people today is the failure of journalists to give the facts and the context in a story. That should be their primary job.