Ferguson Media Coverage Questioned

The line between news reporting and opinion is blurring in Ferguson, Missouri, as some national journalists inject their perspective and even themselves into the story, according to an article at Politico.

The conduct of a few prominent members of the press on the ground at the site of the police shooting of Michael Brown has drawn the attention of media observers and prompted the wrath of conservatives who see an anti-law enforcement bias in the Fourth Estate.

On Monday night, CNN’s Jake Tapper blasted the authorities’ heavy-handed response to the demonstrations, which he deemed nonsensical. Wesley Lowery, the Washington Post reporter who was arrested last week along with Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post, has called police conduct “militarized” and “aggressive.” Don Lemon, on the air for CNN, even offered personal assistance to the parents of Brown. “If any of you ever need anything, you know how to get in touch with me personally,” he told them during an interview.

CNN's Jake Tapper

“To me that was a line that was very clearly crossed,” said Amy Simons, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. “He had gone from being an independent journalist to clearly advocating and making it known which side of this issues he’s on at the moment.”

Lowery has given several media interviews since his arrest and engaged in public battles with his detractors, including MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, who suggested that Lowery should have been more compliant with the demands of law enforcement.

The loudest condemnations from conservatives: In a post for Hot Air on Tuesday, Noah Rothman argued that “the press is no longer serving as objective chroniclers of the proceedings.”

“In many ways, the media appears to believe that it is an active participant in the events in Missouri. What’s more, the press appears to be relishing this role,” Rothman wrote.

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