The media is free to choose sides. Since Pseudo-Con legend Ronnie Raygun halted the use of the Fairness Doctrine, the commentators are free to express their opinions without the need for the network to air opposing points of view. They can broadcast from an Neo-GOP perspective like Faux or more Dem friendly like MSNBC or CNN 24/7/365.
Ah yes, the Fairness Doctrine. A television station could not express a political editorial without giving equal time to the opposing view. I remember the days well. In the 1970's we watched the local news on WSOC-TV out of Charlotte, NC. Then we switched to CBS and Walter Cronkite. Cronkite and CBS was real journalism, "and that is the way it is".
But the local station, now owned by Sinclair Broadcasting, was then, as of course they are now, a conservative, right leaning institution. They would end their local broadcast most evenings with an editorial by the producer, right before the national news--about 6:25pm.
I was ten in 1972, already interested in politics. I had a bedtime, but I set my alarm for 1:45 AM, got up, and snuck into the living room to quietly watch the opposition get their equal time, right before sign-off. At this same time, I had subscriptions to Time, Newsweek, and US News and World Report. My parents were very supportive. And while I might have been supportive of the alternative view, even at ten, I realized the representatives were almost all trainwrecks. I didn't wake up that early for confirmation bias, I woke up that early because it was better than watching Saturday Night Live.
The point is don't bemoan the loss of the Fairness Doctrine. Because it sure as hell wasn't "fair", and from what I saw, it actually did more harm than good. Those clowns that got airtime right before signoff were just that, clowns, and they weren't going to sway anyone's opinion.
