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Ellison's Must Read of the Day

Ellison must read
September 26, 2014

My must read of the day is "Chuck Todd: The Breitbart News Interview – Part 1," in Breitbart: 

CT: People want to feel as if we're not treating either party as a caricature. One of the things I want to do better is to remind people that while both parties are more ideologically homogeneous than they have been in the past, there is still the business conservative and the populist conservative. One Republican does not represent everyone. Meet the Press needs to reflect that there are multiple points of view within the conservative movement. Same with the Democrats. Basically, both parties have an establishment and populist wing. The media in general has been a little too broad-brushed. I simply want to be tough and fair with everyone equally. Over time people will judge.

BNN: It's not at all that we want the media to be softer on conservatives. What we want to see is the media be as tough on Democrats.

CT: Tim [Russert] had a great line, a mantra, something he took from [Meet the Press co-creator and 28 year moderator Lawrence E.] Spivek: You learn absolutely everything you can about the person you’re going to interview and take the opposite point of view. That's how I try to approach it. Some viewers don't like it. But if you’re trying to find out why somebody believes in a point of view or policy, that's sometimes the best way.

This is a really great interview with Todd, and the whole thing is worth a read—but this bit is my favorite.

It’s very hard to cover a beat like politics, to follow it closely and actually understand it, and then not form an opinion on any issue ever—and that’s okay. Being objective is ultimately a choice, and I think a lot of people forget that. Having a bias does not have to impede fairness.

Chuck Todd reminds me of George Stephanopoulos. They’re both on Sunday shows, they both spent time working for a Democrat, and they both are fair journalists. Todd’s approach based on Spivek’s mantra is probably why, and he deserves a lot of respect for agreeing to do an interview with Breitbart—I can’t think of many members of the "mainstream media" who would have done it.  The fact that he did the interview should tell you a lot about his professional character.

Published under: Chuck Todd