The Consequences Of President Johnsons Campaign Of

The Word Liberal Has Been Employed As The Political Equivalent Of An Untreatable But Potentially Containable Social Disease -- The Kind That Could Be Contracted Merely By Going To A Foreign Movie Or Ordering A Decaf Latte, Or Worse, A Glass Of French Wine.

To Become Informed And Hold Government Accountable, The General Public Needs To Obtain News That Is Comprehensive Yet Interesting And Understandable, That Conveys Facts And Outcomes, Not Cosmetic Images And Airy Promises. But That Is Not What The Public Demands.

But Particularly When The Media Profess To Strive Toward Objectivity, Gatekeepers Play A Crucial Role In Helping People Navigate The News To Make Educated Political Decisions.

Ironically, Tendency To Ignore Inconvenient Facts And Unwelcome Evidence Is Actually President Reagan's True Legacy, As I Noted In 'the Nation' Back In 2000, Before The Current Right-wing Mania For President Reagan Gained Its Full Force.

The White House And The Media Need One Another In Order To Be Successful In Their Jobs. The White House Depends On The Media To Make Its Case To The Public; The Media Need The White House To Fill Their Airtime And News Columns.