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Letter: Beem column 'lacks' credibility

Nov 02, 2009 9:00 am
There is an important word missing in Edgar Allen Beem's discourse on bias in the media: credibility.

Beem concedes that there is a bias in the press and his bias has always been on the liberal side of things. He notes that the conservatives have their own bias in the media, and then concludes that there will always be bias in the media; that "the overt partisanship of many of today's news outlets is just a return to the future."

The American news industry is in its death throes, and I suggest that the reason for the industry's bankruptcy (literally) is that it has lost all of its credibility. No one believes what they read, hear or view in the news media, and that is why the industry is collapsing: their customers simply do not believe the news that the media purports to cover.

By his own account, Been has been part of that process – so he has, really, no one to blame but himself for the dilemma he describes.

Ted Marks
Phippsburg

Comments

eabeem says:

Mr. Marks, Not exactly sure how, writing for newspapers and magazines in Maine, I managed to destroy the credibility of the mainstream American media, but I'll take my fair share of the blame if you, a veteran of the mainstream American media, will.

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Ted Marks says:

The headline on my letter is slightly misleading: I was not saying Mr. Beem necessarily lacks credibility; the point of my letter is to note that the news media in general is being destroyed by the overwhelming predominance of opinion in news and information published in newspapers, magazines, TV and radio outlets and the Internet. The facts are getting lost in the clamor. And, yes, as a member of the media (not necessarily mainstream media), I hold myself accountable -- which is why I wrote the letter in the first place -- to take some responsibility. (I also think Mr Beem should trim his beard.)

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eabeem says:

That picture was taken back when I had plenty of work and no time for grooming. These days I have plenty of time on my hands and a much shorter beard. Thanks for the clarification.

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