The Sunday chat shows are offering up their dogmatic balance on the Sherrod case, albeit a balance infused with far more color on their panels than usual. But, Greg Sargent asks, “Do both sides really engage in Breitbart-style tactics? Is all ‘ideological media’ created equal?” His answer, an unequivocal no:
Do some left wing commentators say crazy things? Sure. But high-profile commentators on the left, for instance at networks like MSNBC, inarguably hold themselves to a higher factual standard than Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly. (Yes, they apologized to Sherrod. So what?)
What’s more, sites like HuffPo and TPM, while perhaps ideologically and politically motivated in some ways, have teams of reporters who are devoted to determining what’s fair and accurate before sharing it with readers. These reporters would never run with a video like the one leaked to Breitbart without making a serious effort to contextualize it and determine its significance and accuracy. I challenge anyone to demonstrate that the Breitbart-Fox axis has any real equivalent on the left.
Ok District TMV, take up the challenge.
You can find me @jwindish, at my Public Notebook, or email me at joe-AT-joewindish-DOT-com.