MY RECENT EDITORIAL OPINIONS
February 27
Journalism objectivity does not exist. If
it is claimed, it's a myth (call it false news). In fact there is no attempt to
conceal bias. That's how journalism has changed. Objectivity as it pertains to
fairness, factuality and nonpartisanship was once a journalistic criterion. No
more. News media have shifted from reporting information to presenting opinions
and personal interpretations. In fact, biases make news sources unique. News
recipients (the public) gravitate to sources that align with their own biases.
This places an onus of investigative responsibility upon readers to discern the
factuality of any information. These are freedoms within a democratic (free)
society. Freedom of expression, speech and the press are necessary to
democracy. We want these so we must live with their consequences, even the
nonsense. Remove them and we are done. Radical authoritarian nationalism
champions ultranationalism, populism, anti-immigration and suppression of
opposition press. These urgencies expose Fascism. Fascism flourishes in
obscurity, (a censored society with restricted commentary). Fascism may be
taking new forms. Open speech and opposition press do not stop even under
fascism.
March 1, 2017
...just my impression: Trump spoke like a
U.S. President last night in his address to the Congress. It was decidedly
un-Trump-like. His speechwriter and his speech coach should be commended. Will
Trump's public communication today resemble the speech to Congress or the
Inauguration speech? Perhaps he enjoyed the performance of his fresh vocal
persona enough to stay with it. I am not hopeful. I assume that personal drafts
and unscripted speech will feature unfiltered and unguarded bombast and
provocative ad libs.
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