The Republicans drew an audience of 16 million. Journalism s job isn t to attract the most eyeballs, but to excite interest in the important. Some critics yawned at the Republican National Convention. If true, it represents a stunning political U-turn. If false, journalists should demolish the papier mache with facts and analysis.
Journalists don t have to be stenographers at an infomercial.
Political conventions are democracy s High Holy Days. They are Holy Week. Sure, Yom Kippur and Easter are scripted. But they are important times of reflection and renewal. So are political conventions.