Journalism has degenerated into a "very perilous state"... "what we in journalism need is a spine transplant"... "The nexus between powerful journalists and people in government and corporate power has become far too close."
That's Dan Rather, the veteran CBS news anchor, sounding off about the state of a US journalism which, he claims, has "lost its guts". During an address in Austin, Texas, he berated journalists for becoming lapdogs to power, rather than watchdogs.
One reason, Rather said, is that questioning power, especially at a time of war, can be perceived as unpatriotic or unsupportive of America's troops. "We've brought it on ourselves, partly because we've lost the sense that (the) patriotic journalist will be on his or her feet asking the tough questions."
Instead, journalists get too cozy with people in positions of power, whether in government or business. "You can get so close to a source that you become part of the problem," he said.
So Rather called for journalists to return to their role as watchdog, though "not as an attack dog." He said: "What does the lapdog do? He just crawls into someone's lap. A good watchdog barks at everything that's suspicious."
Is he right to bark at his fellow US journalists? And what kind of dog is appropriate to describe British journalists?
