Jay Rosen's "Three Questions for Kevin Drum"--and for DUers

[BurtWorm]

Is the press, properly understood, a political animal?

If so, what kind of politics should it have?

How do we know if the press has got the politics part right?




For background on the questions, and this open dialogue between Rosen, Drum, and all bloggers, journalists and others interested in the role of the media in the US, go here:

http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2005/05/26/drm_qsts.html

[BurtWorm]

1. For those who are too lazy to read Rosen's piece...

allow me to delineate the issues:

Rosen is really asking what sort of political animal the press might be, considering it is often used by transparently political animals (i.e., high placed senior administration officials speaking off the record) to send political messages to the public. Is it an organ of official Washington? Is it an organ of the public? Is it unto itself?

These are questions that ask for descriptive and prescriptive answers.

[BurtWorm]

2. kick