Things The Media Could Do To Save Itself (But Won't)

Powerline (excerpts):

FIRST, the media must finally reconcile with the Vietnam War. It's remarkable, breathtaking, that 32 years after the fall of Saigon, the press still can't grasp how deep the wound of Vietnam remains. Proof? Look at the passions it still aroused in the 2004 campaign.

...
SECOND, the media must come to terms with abortion, probably the most intense, most divisive domestic issue of the last 35 years. It's as present in the politics of today as it was in 1973, when Roe v. Wade was decided. No matter what position you take, it's hard to argue that the elite media has done justice to the question. It has managed to alienate millions of pro-life Americans with a kind of glibness, an arrogance that too often suggests that they're simply captives of religious dogma, rather than thoughtful people working through a profound moral dilemma. I believe that much of this glibness stems from the simple fact that the media is largely based in New York, Washington and Los Angeles.

...
THIRD, the media must bury the belief that it must have an "adversarial relationship" with government. That notion grew after Watergate, and it's reckless. An adversarial relationship is, by definition, a point of view.

The proper relationship of press to government is neutrality. The press should be neither for nor against government, but a vigorous inquirer into its affairs. The "adversarial relationship" leads to the "gotcha" game, the destruction of public officials as a career goal. That game has outlived the usefulness it never had. The public hates it. It erodes the credibility of the press every time viewers see it in a televised news conference. Journalists can give us the news without destroying the newsmaker.