Stepford Journalism

Chas Rich has a blog called NEO Babble at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It's a must for daily reading for his insights, including this piece of honesty. (Remarking on a flagrant editorial from the Toledo Blade.)

Yes, I know the Editorial Board of the paper is separate from the news division. These are just unsigned opinion pieces that may not even reflect the entire board (it just gives the appearance since they are unsigned). I even believe most of the public gets that.

Still the editorial board has an impact on the employees of a paper. They read how the people in power are viewing things, and it has to have an effect on how they cover, report and edit stories. It is only natural.

We all knew it, but it's something most journalists deny even while they avidly follow the line.