Washington Post and Time magazine veteran Carl Bernstein, now a CNN political commentator, knows who to blame for the lack of trust in the media: The public.
This week’s Mainstream Media Scream features Bernstein bragging on “unbiased” mainstream outlets, like the Post, then blaming the public for going to other sources that reinforce their personal bias.
He spoke on CNN’s on Sunday Reliable Sources show:
“I think we still have an awful lot of great reporting. You see it particularly in old mainstream news — the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal. This particular network, I think, although I’ve been very critical of some of the things we do in terms of devoting too much airtime to one candidate or another. I think that we are straight in terms of how we present the news and it’s unbiased.
“I think there’s a much bigger problem, and that is the people who are watching and reading us who are not looking for the best obtainable version of the truth who are not interested in unbiased reporting, rather who are looking for information to reinforce what they already believe, their political beliefs, their religious beliefs, their ideological beliefs.
“It’s key to the success of Fox News that no longer do we have a culture interested in the best obtainable version of the truth that we once had in this country. So I think the problem is less the media than it is really a combination of media and our citizenry.”
Media Research Center Vice President of Research Brent Baker explains the pick: “Bernstein defines the arrogant out of touch media. Never mind not understanding Trump’s appeal, Bernstein has deluded himself into really believing the media are “unbiased” and news consumers just aren’t smart enough to recognize they’re the ones who are biased. But when he says the public “are looking for information to reinforce what they already believe,” he could be describing the very journalistic approach which has led to distrust of the media.”
Rating: Four out of five screams.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
