PressThink
In a speech in Melbourne, Australia, Jay Rosen describes what political coverage should do and why it fails. Political reporting should “help us get our bearings in a world of confusing claims and counter-claims,” he writes, but instead reporters act as savvy insiders who focus on intrigue, strategy and theater. As an example, he notes Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s assertion that climate change is a hoax, which he said is merely a strategy of “verification in reverse” — to create political controversy over established facts and capitalize on it. “How should political journalists stand toward this technique?” Rosen asks. “As savvy insiders who know how the game is played and need to maintain their innocence? If they do that, and verification in reverse grows and succeeds, it will be the equivalent of running over the press with a truck. Journalism will become superflous.” || Related: Perry’s assertions on global warming show challenges of reporting when science, politics collide | Do political candidates count on local reporters to ask softball questions?
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