Jena, La. - By now, almost everyone in America has heard of Jena, La., because they've all heard the story of the "Jena 6." White students hanging nooses barely punished, a schoolyard fight, excessive punishment for the six black attackers, racist local officials, public outrage and protests – the outside media made sure everyone knew the basics.
There's just one problem: The media got most of the basics wrong. In fact, I have never before witnessed such a disgrace in professional journalism. Myths replaced facts, and journalists abdicated their solemn duty to investigate every claim because they were seduced by a powerfully appealing but false narrative of racial injustice.
Read the whole thing here.
Disgraces in professional journalism? Heck, they're the norm. Think about how the MSM blundered on Iraq, on Katrina, on the economy, on just about every major story to come out during the Bush administration.
The question is why has the MSM become so corrupt and incompetent so fast?
Possible answers:
Bush derangement syndrome.
The inordinate influence of the New York Times, an organization that has lost its bearings.
The persistence of obsolete narratives forged in the Sixties and Seventies.
Now there are alternative sources of information in blogs and talk radio to expose MSM bias. [this assumes that the MSM was always as incompetent and biased as it seems to be now]
Pervasive liberal media bias.
The skill of Democrat operatives in manipulating MSM organs. [eeeeew!]
All of the above.
