Posted 12:03 PM by Gene

We do not know who Edward Wasserman is, but he's come up with another one:

I may be alone in saying this, but of all the improper influences on the flow of publicly significant news -- from commercialism to deliberate disinformation -- the one that is almost never discussed and yet which may be more profoundly corrupting than any of the others is, in my view, the beat system. The wisdom of beats rests on the idea that journalism can flourish in a setting where a journalist's professional success utterly depends on the continuing cooperation of the same people that the journalist is supposed to badger, provoke, expose and, in sum, hold accountable on the public's behalf. And that is totally illogical.

PRECISELY. The Congress, business, real estate, show-biz, sports -- all these things and more cannot be covered because reporters are busy logrolling their sources and looking for jobs. This helps explain why punditry stinks, not to mention why ad-blurbists can last on the job for five decades. This "sclerotic" system MUST go.

(Via Romy. Way to go!)