After reading Mr. Fonzi’s opinion “Dig a little deeper” (Nov. 5), I looked up the word perspective in my dictionary. It states in part “perspective is the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.” I agree with his assertion that “our national and often local press is lockstepped in ideological conformity and demands that its readers join in conformity of thought.” Fonzi pushes a narrative that politicizes the media as being biased toward liberalism. I believe his perspective is wrong. Professional journalists have an ethical code to report facts and represent truth. From my perspective, the media’s ideological conformity is to report verifiable facts and truth. All media consumers should have conformity of thought to insist on accurate, truthful reporting. We should insist media reporting calls out people, especially elected officials, who push out narratives based on lies, misinformation, and deception. Media should always shine a light on false narratives, political and social demagoguery, and fake conspiracies. This kind of media ideological conformity allows us to make well-informed, wise decisions to improve ourselves, our communities, our country, and the world.
Dean Arrighi
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in NTMAs 2020.
Thank you, Dean Arrighi, for using a bit of rhetorical ju-jitsu to explain the basic mission of news media. Increasingly, the moniker “liberal media” has been used by right wing activists who are disgruntled about reportage on matters they don’t want to hear about or outcomes that upend their worldview or prejudices. Since 2015, Trumpism has been the accelerant for right wing organs to traffic in conspiracy theories, issue threats against government officials like Dr Fauci, and promote partisan propaganda instead of researched journalism.
When Facebook and Twitter buckled under pressure to monitor the content on their platforms – especially that which provokes right wing hatred and violence, angry conservatives erected Parler, a new social media platform, to to continue spreading misinformation and lies, further dividing Americans and impeding progress in government.
Gordon,
You seem to have nailed it – thanks for posting such an accurate summary. It blows my mind that the GOP has adopted such a divisive / aggressive leader. I wonder how much longer Trumpism will prevail in the GOP after January 20, 2021.
The whole thing seems way too cultish and egregious for most of the Republicans I know.