“If media surveillance causes governments to fall and public
officials to be ousted, democracy is well served” Doris A. Graber (2010)
I can understand what Graber must have meant when she wrote
this line in her book, “Mass Media and American Politics”. She came to the
conclusion that a major role that the media pay in a democracy is the people’s watchdog
on the government. Her statement obligates the media to report to the people
every and any events that in turn would mobilize the people to cause “…governments
to fall and public officials to be ousted…” Graber also notes that the media
must also “interpret the events’ meanings, [and] put them into context.”
What must we conclude then, when the media, not only fails
to do so but, report false claims within their interpretation of event’s, which
then leads a group of people to want “public officials to be ousted”, on such
false premises?
“As outrageous as those breaches of decency are, they are
merely the latest extension of Obama’s polarizing presidency.”(1)
“President Obama's intensity remained static during that
same period, but he remains more polarizing than Romney.”(2)
“Obama: The most polarizing president. Ever.” (3)
WTF!!!!!!!!!!!
(Excuse me for my abbreviations, but seriously why must so
many Americans be exposed to such horrendous misleading information?)
The latest attacks on President Obama have made me sick, and
would likely make Sean Theriault rip his hair out.
Who is Sean Theriault? Well you may know him as the author
of a little book titled “Party Polarization in Congress.” In his book Theriault
covers four major variables which he finds to significantlyinfluence party
polarization in Congress; these are as follows: redistricting, geographic sorting,
the institutions and procedures of the House and Senate, and the influence of party
activist.
Wait. Did Theriault miss something? Are these journalists on
the cutting edge of research on party polarization? Or are there methods of determining
that President Obama is the cause of polarization through a gallop poll severely
flawed? (3)
We need a watchdog over our watchdog. Be it Jon Stewart or
Sean Theriault, someone must report to the public all of the flaws the media
make, for the sake of preventing Americans to be mal-informed by atrocities such
as the one above. We need political science to be integrated into our
mainstream media.
Thank you Brendon Nyhan and John Sides for your essay “How Political
Science Can Help Journalism”
Though I fear your work may fall on the death ear’s of the
media as most political science, such as Theriault’s work, has.
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