More on what's wrong with the media

Ann Davidow has an excellent take on the lack of real information coming from what passes for media in the US of A.

The glee with which pundits feed on the minutia of politics as if devouring some tidbit of celebrity gossip shows a lack of journalistic gravitas. The Fox News Channel is such a farcical turn on itself it is almost too ridiculous to be taken seriously. Yet a sizeable audience plants itself at the feet of Fox as if its news and views offered something of real value, leaving Fox viewers dangerously misinformed.

But while Fox may field the worst purveyors of intellectually challenged reportage, it isn't the only example of media intransigence. Sean Hannity may be a shameless McCain advocate, but, if Fox tops the list in terms of bias, other news organizations offer up guests who lean one way or the other but add little substance to the political debate. It's as if some producer runs around trying to find representatives of every opinion and throws them in front of a camera to provide a range of views, well founded or not.

Fox is not the only target:

Pundits like Chris Matthews on MSNBC, feel compelled to tell viewers how smart they are, as in ‘when I worked for so and so' or ‘I've been around politics since the beginning of time.' It isn't only that Matthews talks over his guests to showcase his vast knowledge of the way things work, it's his annoying habit of pretending to ask a guest tough questions and then saying at the end "you're a good guy" or something of the sort, as if to ensure his entrée into whatever sphere of influence that particular guest still commands.

And this is why we keep electing morons.