This is so sharp and absolutely spot on, especially in breaking down how much audience pressure shapes coverage more than we like to admit. I do think the “herd mentality” hits hardest in political journalism, mainly in DC, where access and peer validation quietly become their own kind of editors. It’s less about bias and more about self-preservation in a system that rewards sameness. Symptomatic of a power problem that plagues other places too.
This is so sharp and absolutely spot on, especially in breaking down how much audience pressure shapes coverage more than we like to admit. I do think the “herd mentality” hits hardest in political journalism, mainly in DC, where access and peer validation quietly become their own kind of editors. It’s less about bias and more about self-preservation in a system that rewards sameness. Symptomatic of a power problem that plagues other places too.
There could be a whole book on the DC news politics scene/coverage