Cynicism in the Media and U.S. Politics

The David Shaw series (“Beyond Skepticism,” April 17, 18 and 19) neglected to mention the acidic effect of radio talk shows, in which any invective (and sometimes any lie) seems better than facts. I believe these shows have had the most deleterious effect on politics, and they stem from the tragic revocation of the Fairness Doctrine.

Most of the so-called press on television and radio are not reporters at all, but rather they are former party operatives, though never identified as such. (Mostly conservative Republicans who served in some of the more unfortunate administrations.) They can hardly be expected to offer an independent attitude, and they clearly do not.

No wonder people refuse to vote anymore. Who or what do they have left to believe in?

DAVID HOROWITZ

Los Angeles

* Shaw’s article “Critics of Media Cynicism Point a Finger at Television” (April 19) seemed to yearn for the days when the code of silence among journalists rendered politicians irreproachable. Granted, it is disconcerting that many print and TV reporters today seek an edge by injecting a dose of cynicism into each story.

Yet, if the trade-off for a more “respectable” brand of journalism is a return to the days where the Dan Rostenkowskis can wheel and deal unchecked, where the Bob Packwoods can grope without rebuke, where the David Dukes and Pat Buchanans can deliver extremist messages unchallenged, where the Hazel O’Learys can travel the globe first-class without restraint and where powerful lobbyists can seduce congressional votes unfettered, I’ll admit to preferring my political reporting with a twist of cynicism.

BYRON GRAHAM

Santa Monica

* I frankly did not need to know about President Clinton and Gennifer Flowers, Hugh Grant and Divine, nor did I need to see a picture of Alec Baldwin’s and Kim Basinger’s newborn baby (April 19). The heavy reliance on television (and even much print material) for entertainment allows people to sever their real emotional lives from family and community and displaces their emotional needs into a media-constructed (largely), superficial world. When will we learn that privacy, dignity and respect are not outdated concepts, but are important for both individual and societal development?

As a marketing professor, I teach my students the importance of consumer sovereignty. Nevertheless, the concept of consumer sovereignty is an overused and repugnant justification for the frequent disregard of ethics, morality and good manners displayed by much of the mass media.

MARY WOLFINBARGER

Long Beach

* The increasingly low view of politicians can be attributed to the negative ads run on television and radio from politicians themselves. The effect of these ads is not just a negative view of the opponent, but also a lowering of the image of politicians and politics in general.

Of course, the increased use of these ads is a result of their effectiveness on the voting public. Politics in the ‘90s, it seems, is just one vicious cycle after another.

RYAN E. VINCENT

Culver City

* Edward R. Murrow was my hero. God, I miss the days when whiskey was in and yellow journalism was out. Trust? What trust? Listen to the people: We’re sick of it! Just report the facts--not your tainted opinion. We managed to get through two wars with gut-wrenching, factual accounts that never once showed a vivid death on TV. Seems we’ve gotten out of hand since Vietnam and Watergate.

RACHEL LEWIEN

Westminster

* It’s about time reporters and editors took a jaded view of the hacks infesting American government. If anything, the media aren’t cynical enough. It’d be a refreshing change to see them stop taking politicians seriously.

The media deified the Kennedys, despite the family’s reptilian, venal nature--ah, but they were cute reptiles. It’s a national disgrace that adults paid to report the news could be so easily hoodwinked.

ROBERT L. McMILLIN

Garden Grove