Socrates would likely approve. A good way for the media to appear both neutral and a meaningful source of information, it has always seemed to me, was to ask questions that force people to explain themselves. It’s hardly unpopular, 60 Minutes has done it for decades. CNN Anchor Rick Sanchez gives it a try:
Has the age where media access depended on not asking questions like this over? Was it just a blip in history that the Bush Administration was so remarkably disciplined? Are new “old media” journalists learning from prior iterations of the political-media relations game, eager to tilt the scales more in their professional favor? Is competition from alternative media making a difference? Is there a market of consumer who is responding to this type of journalism? (Query: Did Couric’s Governor Palin interview do anything to the long-term ratings to her broadcast?) Interesting…
