In the same way, if I owned a newspaper, I would wonder whether giving free rein to a newsroom culture that pushes the journalistic product farther and farther to the left is a good idea. The overall culture of newsrooms, however, keeps heading further left. Problems with the quality and accuracy of news coverage, and problems with audience rebellion. That would mean installing tough, objective-minded editors, like A.M. Rosenthal, who kept the New York Times news pages mostly objective for two decades over the vociferous opposition of the newsroom culture. And it would mean taking affirmative actions to hire Republicans, conservative Christians, and others now vastly underrepresented in newsrooms.
Partisan journalism can be good journalism.
It must admit its partisanship, however, and quit making increasingly implausible claims of objectivity. On the other hand, partisan journalism, especially of today s leftish variety, may not be good business for metropolitan newspapers and broadcast news that aim for a broad audience.