Tim Russert, Bernard Goldberg and Me: Thinking For Yourself And Other Thought Crimes

Just as more and more information becomes seemingly available, we nevertheless seem to know less and less. Today, one has to know as much as a physician in order to make one’s own personal medical decisions. One must possess an advanced degree in history, Middle East Studies, political science, or law, in order to be able to evaluate what newspapers print daily.

In addition, internet sites are not necessarily trustworthy. There are no clear, common standards, few sites take responsibility for mistakes or for outright lies, and even “mediated” venues are known both for biased reportage and for refusing to publish facts, or points of view which in any way depart from their approved ideology. Of course, ideologues on both sides of the aisle are usually quite happy to read material that they already “know” and with which they agree however much this places the rest of us at a great disadvantage.

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Bernard Goldberg has a long piece about Tim Russert whom he claims was the only television journalist who dared interview Goldberg about his book “Bias.” Goldberg had worked at CBS for 28 years and his book exposed the media’s pervasive liberal bias. Goldberg now praises Russert for having understood that intellectual, ideological, and political diversity are crucial for both journalism and democracy.

Well, who’s going to take his place? Who is ready to step right up and take on Russert’s work? I (and many others) have had the same experience that Goldberg writes about but with an extra twist. My reasoned and passionate pro-America and pro-Israel stands led to my becoming almost persona non grata among most of my former friends and admirers on almost every liberal and left radio, television, newspaper, and internet magazine-and, because the conservative media liked and published what I was saying, the liberal and left media almost all refused to publish or interview me about my feminist/humanist critique of Islamic gender and religious apartheid…Continue reading on Chesler Chronicls >>