Required Reading

Paul Krugman in today's NYT on how the media have failed us by reviewing the debates as entertainment, not in terms of factual errors.

In Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate, Mitt Romney completely misrepresented how we ended up in Iraq. Later, Mike Huckabee mistakenly claimed that it was Ronald Reagan’s birthday.

Guess which remark The Washington Post identified as the “gaffe of the night”?

In case we don't recognize the seriousness of this, Krugman reminds us of the Gore-Bush debate in 2000, in which Gore rolled his eyes at Bush's lies and errors. Because the media focused on Gore's sighs, Krugman posits, we ended up with a president who lies.

I absolutely believe this.

There are lots of books about the intersection of media and politics. One I recommend, which is sadly o/p, is On Bended Knee by Mark Hertsgaard, on the Reagan years.

Tweet