Perspective: Local watchdogs paving the way to media literacy
Front pages of Pravda newspaper issues. Image by Wikimedia Commons
Today's watchdogs, says Washington Examiner's Mark Judge, are teaching the public to effectively scrutinize media sources (cough: like heavily union-funded websites). And what's more, with the rise of non-Left wing publications, folks who don't fit into the popular ideological mold still have outlets for sharing truth. Judge's remarks below.
Dave Portnoy said he “smelled a rat.” Portnoy, the head of Barstool Sports , had been approached by a writer at the left-wing website Slate who wanted to write a piece about him. Despite the writer being “very complimentary,” Portnoy knew what was up.
Of course, Portnoy was right. The Slate article was a hit piece. What’s impressive about this episode, however, is Portnoy’s level of media literacy. He knew Slate was untrustworthy from the get-go.
Thirty years ago, Portnoy may have naively trusted the reporter. Yet things have changed. Conservatives have altered the media culture. With books, websites, publishing houses, podcast hosts, and a strong X, formerly known as Twitter, presence, the Right has educated the public on the many reasons not to trust the media. Portnoy is an example of this.
It’s a major sea change and one that conservatives should be proud of. It’s easy to forget just how bad things once were. Before the internet, we were stuck with three network channels and liberal newspapers such as the Washington Post and the New York Times. If they lied about you, a million people saw it, and there was very little you could do about it. You could write a letter to the editor, which no one would see.
Things are different now. People know the media are crooked, and their victims can not only survive but get the truth out.
This article originally appeared in the Washington Examiner. Read the whole thing here.
Read about media bias terminology here.
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