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Media Should Save Opinions For Editorials

Floor Speech

Date: June 23, 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Technology and Communication Judicial Branch

MEDIA SHOULD SAVE OPINIONS FOR EDITORIALS

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Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, in some national newspapers, the line between news reporting and opinion has become non-existent. Take two recent examples:

First, this opinionated sentence from The Washington Post on America's health care system: ``Nowhere else in the world is so much money spent with such poor results.''

Second, this sarcastic comment from The New York Times on Supreme Court nominee Judge Sotomayor: ``Of course, it is not as if a lawyer and judge with a history of involvement in racial issues has not made it onto the Supreme Court. Thurgood Marshall, a fierce advocate for racial justice as a lawyer for the NAACP, sailed onto the highest bench in the 1960s.''

Amazingly, these blatant opinions are from front-page news stories, not editorials.

Newspapers should report the facts and save opinions for the editorial page.

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