The anecdote attempts to explain why most Americans hate and/or distrust the media. Fallows tells the story of a forum involving Mike Wallace and Peter Jennings when they were asked the question of what they would do if faced with the situation in which they were assigned to cover enemy troops about to ambush American soldiers. Their answers, and the military men's responses, make for a great story (and make you want to beat the crap out of Mike Wallace, even if you think he might be right).
The observation is that the media tends to reduce everything to the game of politics rather than discussing the deeper meaning. Instead of, for example, discussing a terrorist attack and why it occured, the media tends to explore these issues only in the most shallow sense before going on to the question of "how will this help X in the polls?" or "what impact does this have on the next election?" Really makes you think when you're watching the coverage of a major event...I like counting the number of hours between a major event and the first cynical "game"-related comment. This book helps one appreciate the politicians on both sides of the aisle (and outside the system) who try to stay away from this kind of punditry (it also helps me understand why Michael Kinsley thought a job for Slate would be more rewarding than being a TV pundit).
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