Apr 252007
I hate it when a columnist or talking head for a major news outlet complains how “big media” or “mainstream media” is ignoring an issue. For example, Lou Dobbs wrote a column for CNN, Dobbs: Big media hide truth about immigration, stating:
And the mainstream media are complicit in advancing this thinly veiled blanket amnesty.
Let’s take a quick look at some facts from Lou Dobbs’s entry on Wikipedia:
- Has worked for CNN since its inception
- Served on the board of the Society for Professional Journalists
- Member of the Overseas Press Club and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Let’s also consider CNN:
- News website and 24-hour news network
- Part of Time Warner, one of the largest media companies in the world
What drives me nuts is that Lou Dobbs is a representative of the mainstream media. By writing about a topic, he cannot in good faith say that mainstream media is ignoring a topic–he is mainstream media.