© REUTERS/Brendan McDermidNBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt hosts an NBC News town hall event with US Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden in Miami, Florida, US, October 5, 2020.
In the speech he gave while accepting the Edward R. Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism, Holt criticized the notion that journalists must provide equal time to opposing viewpoints on an issue, insisting that some viewpoints are unworthy of airtime.
"I think it's become clearer that fairness is overrated," the host of NBC's Nightly News remarked. "Before you run off and tweet that headline, let me explain a bit. The idea that we should always give two sides equal weight and merit does not reflect the world we find ourselves in. That the sun sets in the west is a fact. Any contrary view does not deserve our time or attention."
Comment: He's actually right, it's just that his views (and his colleagues') are the ones that don't deserve time and attention.
He further argued that providing a platform for "misinformation," especially when discussing issues related to public health and safety, can be dangerous, adding: "Our duty is to be fair to the truth." Apparently anticipating criticisms of his stance, he stressed that refusing to cover "unsupported arguments" is not proof of some sort of agenda, and, in fact, "just the opposite."
The monologue triggered howls among those who view the mainstream media with suspicion.
"I have a feeling that what is considered 'true' in this context is whatever NBC decides is true at any given moment," remarked one commenter.
Others accused Holt of advocating for unapologetic prejudice in journalism.
Several replies took a more nuanced view, noting that providing necessary context for hot button issues is not television's strong suit, due to time constraints. But instead of completely ignoring alleged "disinformation," journalists should be willing to take the time to carefully examine and deconstruct it.
While many were up in arms over Holt's comments, there were plenty of Twitter users who applauded his words.
Reader Comments
My issue is that I also believe that it IS the responsibility of journalists to be honest, thorough and objective if reporting anything other than their own personal opinions. (And I believe they should also identify when they are reporting opinions vs. facts...)
That said, why a talking head propaganda mouthpiece like Holt is talking about journalists is the real problem here to me...
Mathew Ehret is a quality journalist and great historian which gives depth to his writing. In this episode he outlines where the US was under Trump with China and Russia and where it stands today under Biden.
Interesting. So the sun is, in fact, moving?
West perhaps, but only nominally. Being on a spinning ball kinda makes the whole east/west thing subjective.
It comes down to who decides what is or is not worthy of time and consideration. I personally prefer access to as much information from as many viewpoints as possible. I can decide for myself.
Everybody wants to control the narrative for everybody else. Most can barely fake it through the day themselves.
They always fall through when pointing out "what everybody knows is true".
Sorry - couldn’t resist!
R.C.
But, what really blew my mind was this series on YouTube... [Link]
It took me places I had never imagined!
If people think one way and you think another way, show them how they are actually wrong and you are correct. Otherwise you are just another idiot spouting an opinion. Fact or not.
If you don't have enough brain power to debate then keep your mouth shut journos