OregonianDoug Bates's daughter once wrote in a school report that her dad "went to college to learn about gerbilism." The Oregonian newsman says: "I've been thinking about that long-ago school paper, and I've decided 'gerbilism' is a pretty good word for what's been going on in the news media these days. Gerbilism is an apt term for something that's soft and warm and cuddly, safe and timid, with no sharp teeth and no bite whatsoever. Gerbilism, I've decided, is partly responsible for a lot of our nation's problems today."
