A diet of data

The Bush administration’s early dominance owed a lot to the Republican press machine.

They completely owned radio, and Fox News Channel was a well-oiled machine designed for transmitting talking points given by former Press Secretary Scott McClellan. All I can remember about MSNBC at that time is Tucker Carlson yelling in a bow tie. Puberty was stressful enough — I did not need to worry about the news stories that were influencing dinner-table discussions.

As public opinion started to shift towards the Democrats, a few anchors stepped into the public spotlight. It’s a bit like the chicken and the egg — did anchors like Keith Olbermann step up their game and pull the public in, or were they merely satisfying a desire that was already there? Watching “Countdown” in 2006 felt great. It felt like there might finally be balance to cable news.

Understand why I find this form of news so interesting — it’s a continuing, non-stop information feed perfectly designed for the sedentary lifestyle our elders enjoy so much. The baby boomers ingest of data appears to be the greatest influence on our nation’s voting. Grandpas seem to exist on a diet made entirely of oat bran and “Fox and Friends.”

Now, things have changed. Like a fable, my wish has gone too far. Liberal journalists run the risk of becoming just as bad as the conservative talking heads they vilify. I imagine young conservatives find Rachel Maddow just as aggravating as I found Bill O’Reilly years ago.

Imagine every news personality lives in the same small one-bedroom apartment. Chris Matthews feels the room is too hot and changes the thermostat. Gretchen Carlson starts to get chilly and bumps the thermostat back up. This is how each news source is trying to tip the scales. Fighting fire with fire is only going to leave a scorched earth.

If you have been frustrated with this environment, write to me. We’ll find it amidst the hate mail and letters containing locks of hair we usually receive. I’d like to invite you to contribute to an upcoming experiment: an online news source without adjectives. News presented in its most diluted form.

For example, reporting simply on bills that are passed and the votes cast on them. No commentary. This column would not exist there. Many of you are suddenly liking this idea a lot more.

In a news world of sugar fluff and chemical additives, we need basic foodstuffs. Let’s give the people the basic ingredients and let them cook for themselves.


E-mail: cquandt@indiana.edu