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Sean hannity, Ted Koppel, and the problem with the media

‘When men yield up the exclusive privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon’.- Thomas Paine Last week a brief televised Sunday morning skirmish between fox news Sean Hannity and CBS’s Ted Koppel made some waves on social media. Headlines included, ‘Sean Hannity asked for the truth and Ted Koppel let him have it! – Instinct Magazine, ‘DANG! Things got NASTY when Ted Koppel told Sean Hannity he is bad for America’- Daily Caller, Watch iconic newsman Ted Koppel tell Sean Hannity to his face he is bad for America’- Daily Kos The click-bait style headlines are somewhat comical given the nature of the discussion. Koppel was pressing Hannity on the dangers of opinion based news shows vs journalism based. "We have to give some credit to the American people that they're somewhat intelligent and that they know the difference between an opinion show and a news show," Hannity said. "You're cynical," he added to the straight-faced Koppel, to which the host agreed. Hannity pressed further: "Do you think we’re bad for America? You think I'm bad for America?" "Yeah," Koppel replied flatly. In the testy back-and-forth that followed, Koppel laid out his chief complaint. "You have attracted people who are determined that ideology is more important than facts," he said. Koppel’s point appeared well received online. Hannity has long backed the Republican line defending it against any critique. His hearty of defense of Trump throughout the Republican primary and general election helped paved the way for Trump, a moderate, to make inroads in Republican and traditionally conservative folds. Whenever damning stories were released about the nominee or complete fabrications were uttered on the campaign trail Hannity performed mental gymnastics to vindicate the future president. Koppel’s ability to identify the symptom is undeniable. Hannity, who proudly touts himself as an unapologetic conservative has changed his principles on everything from Russian foreign policy, to wiki leaks, to NSA spying to repealing the ACA in effort to stay lock step with Trump. Intellectual integrity be damned. Koppel’s prescription for this problem and his assignable cause are dubious however. Actually, to Koppel the two are one in the same. Hannity is purposely misleading his audience which is powerless to resist his political sway. Koppel takes an elitist view of the press. It is the duty of the degreed journalist to gather the facts and present an accurate picture. Much like the doctor’s taking the Hippocratic oath the journalist has taken an pledge to uphold the utmost in integrity. He is lady justice, blindly weighing either side of a debate before disseminating the truth to the lowly plebes. How can this be accomplished though when shows like ‘Hannity’ (#1 show on talk radio) are so popular? The plebes have spoken and they prefer blustering opinion to fact based journalism. Koppel has a solution. He is a proponent of the ‘Fairness Doctrine’. This FCC policy was introduced in 1949 (rescinded in 2011). It required broadcasters to present controversial issues of public importance in a manner that (in the Commission’s view) was honest, equitable, and balanced. What could possibly go wrong with policy like that?? (Hint: the head of the FCC reports to Trump currently.) Koppel’s proposition is akin to the latest Jurassic park movie. He’s identified what he thinks is the problem. The giant T-rex escaped from its enclosure which is now wreaking havoc throughout the park. His solution? Release the even more gigantic mutated Indominus rex to rid the park of that dinosaur for good. (In case you are bad with analogies that would be a Hannity Rex and a big government Rex) Ted Koppel’s solution is not only unconstitutional but I also believe misses the true assignable cause. So what is the root of the problem? Well quite simply you the collective media consumer are the problem. The news outlets we have now are the ones most in tune with the wants of the viewers. It is simple capitalism, and the product is meeting the demand. The demand of self-adulation. The demand of personal affirmation. The demand to always frame the political figures of the viewer’s persuasion as the good guys. The demand to never have ones pre-conceptions of political narratives challenged. The demand for hero worship. Every article clicked, every video watched, every channel flipped to it all adds up to the current media spectrum. Any media resulting is merely a reflection of that demographics wants. And this was the best we could do, Tomi, Hannity, and Milo. It’s pathetic. What’s the solution? Demand better. You as the customer have full control. Demand journalistic integrity. Demand to be challenged. And mostly demand principled commentators and not cheerleaders. Finally, stop playing the finger pointing game at the media as a first measure. The issues we see are symptoms. Identifying the real root cause may take some personal introspection.