The media vs. the President - again

DallasBlog.com | William Murchison:

“The media's part in sniffing out and disclosing this country's strategy for combating the terrorists suggests that many media types, functioning as they do in the sublime glow of the First Amendment, value longrange American interests less than they do an opportunity to stick it to the White House.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

One could as easily argue that it is the press that has America's longrange interests at heart -- interests in protecting Americans' liberties and the Bill of Rights, including the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. It's people like William Murchison who are willing to throw out those liberties in exchange for a little false sense of security. And who are willing to overlook our loss of liberty for an opportunity to stick it to The New York Times.

But that, too, would be wrong. The New York Times is just doing its job of investigating and reporting what's going on in Washington -- good or bad. It's news that it's interested in. When the news is good, it doesn't deserve praise for upholding American values. And when the news is bad, it doesn't deserve blame for undermining those values. Praise and blame belong to the players The New York Times is reporting on. And, more and more, regarding how this war is being prosecuted, it's blame that those players deserve.