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Thu. Apr 22, 2004

The Lynching Of Objectivity

Mark Glaser has written an interesting article that asks the question, “Is the Net Polarizing U.S. Political Dialogue?” (I already gave you my answer)

Cass Sunstein, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School and Department of Political Science, warned of the dangers of fragmented media online in his book “Republic.com” and follow-up essay “Echo Chambers.” Sunstein believes that like-minded people discussing an issue amongst themselves tend to move to more extreme viewpoints.

“The major point I’d emphasize is the risk that when like-minded people speak mostly to one another, there’s more division and polarization and less mutual understanding. This is a serious problem for American democracy. Lots of options are good, but it’s not so good if people sort themselves into echo chambers.”

Sunstein expounds on the idea of group polarization in the “Echo Chambers” essay, which focuses on the 2000 election fracas. “If Republicans are talking only with Republicans, if Democrats are talking primarily with Democrats, if members of the religious right speak mostly to each other, and if radical feminists talk largely to radical feminists, there is a potential for the development of different forms of extremism, and for profound mutual misunderstandings with individuals outside the group,” Sunstein wrote.

Online Journalism Review: “Is the Net Polarizing U.S. Political Dialogue?”

Glaser and Sunstein use the phrase “Echo Chamber,” but I’ve called it “preaching to the choir,” because I think that pinpoints the problem more directly. When the preacher tells the choir, “we are led by a warmongering fundamentalist sorry sack of…”, or (in the Other Church) “this tax and spend liberal is a French-speaking coward who’s full of…”, the choir will give a big “Amen,” and “Preach On” to encourage more.

For a preacher, that’s empowering. Makes you feel good to know you’re connecting with your fellow believers. It also makes you entirely forget your core mission … those people you’ve turned your back on.

The congregation. The ones you need to convert to win in November. That is your Holy Mission. And with such preaching, you fail miserably. Heated rhetoric converts no one, it turns them off. They will then leave that church, and go on a likely futile search for another preacher who wants to address their concerns, not score points with the choir.

Now, it’s possible this polarization is going a step further. People are beginning to view those who aren’t a member of one church or the other, or who show no bias … as abnormal.

People who don’t take sides – or have more subtle and conflicting takes on issues – are considered boring or wishy-washy or even flip-floppers. Rick Heller, one of the bloggers of the Centrist Coalition, told me the political center is still missing online because of a “passion gap.” He says that “moderates are temperamentally less motivated to expound their views on blogs” than lefties or righties.

Heller told me via e-mail that the increasing partisanship in the United States has created a need for mediators and bridge builders, and he hopes that the 100-plus members of the Coalition can do that online – perhaps with the help of moderate elected officials.

Though Heller is a blogger, he said that political blogs are creating a wedge between liberals and conservatives online. “I do think that blogs contribute to the partisanship, because we’re less journalists than pundits,” he said.

Online Journalism Review: “Is the Net Polarizing U.S. Political Dialogue?”

Centrists are boring, wishy-washy, flip-floppers. They will likely also determine the winner in November, but that’s no reason to pay them any attention, never mind actually appeal to them. If they can’t get with the program and join the choir … screw ‘em.

Bias is in, and objectivity is out. So sayeth Markos Moulitsas Zuniga of DailyKos: “Is there value in objective journalism? ... I think the wire services should strive for it as much as possible. But ultimately, such news is boring. There’s nothing drier than wire copy. But news with attitude is fun. Exciting. It gets the blood boiling. It makes us react and take action, whether in approval or anger. I absolutely believe that as more Americans become aware of the partisan news outlets available to them that they will gravitate in that direction.”

Objective journalism is boring, and “news with attitude is fun”!!! Because that’s what news is supposed to be … entertainment! Or, at most, partisan chum to get the sharks’ “blood boiling.” Imparting known facts without partisan bias might better serve the public, but they won’t enjoy it as much. So give them what they want! Make Michael Moore and Anne Coulter “news anchors” (on separate shows, of course), get Shepard Smith to train them on how to lose those pesky verbs, and fire away! More meaningless fodder for the partisan inferno … because we just don’t have enough as it is!

It’s this kind of stuff that leads me to believe we are doomed to get exactly what we deserve: a fractured country that no one can lead.

Even the conclusion of the article seems to me to miss the point: “So perhaps the most intense ideological debates online are just a loud minority drowning out an overall populace that is much more moderate and apathetic. But until someone comes up with an entertaining centrist radio show or Web site, we can expect the attack dogs of the left and right to continue to garner bigger audiences on the air and online.”

The solution to this problem is not “an entertaining centrist radio show or Web site,” as “entertainment” is what often causes the heated rhetoric on political sites (what you find “entertaining,” others find infuriating). It only points out how many people view this as some perverse “contest” that is only peripherally connected to swaying how people vote in November.

But maybe that is the point … “to garner bigger audiences”. There are quite a few very popular political sites out there that, come next January, are going to become, well … boring. There is serious hay to be made while the Election Year Sun is shining, both in terms of traffic and ad bucks. And the obvious way to keep those turnstiles churning is more “preaching to the choir.”

But come November, one side or the other is going to be saying, “you know, we didn’t convert enough people to our side.” And looking back, all that “preaching” isn’t going to seem like as much fun as it does today.

So enjoy it while you can. Because you may pay later.