Michael Wolff, a columnist for USA Today, weighed in on the debate about media coverage of the presidential election. I and others have framed this as a debate of “false equivalence:” how can the media give even-handed coverage to two candidates of such dramatically different records and temperments? Wolff took great delight in how Times […]…
About: William Holstein
Author Archives: William Holstein
The “false equivalency” argument spreads like wild fire
It’s amazing how social media has accelerated the transmission of certain ideas. I blogged last Friday criticizing the media for treating allegations against Hillary Clinton the same way they treat the outrages that Donald Trump commits and continues to commit. I used the phrase “false equivalence.” I had never heard it before. I thought I […]…
The New York Times responds to “false equivalence” argument
New York Times Public Editor Liz Spayd must have written this piece before I posted my blog on Friday decrying the media’s insistence on “false equivalence,” the presumption that what Hillary Clinton did with her email server was in any way comparable to Donald Trump’s refusal to release his income tax statements or a range […]…
The American Media’s Dangerous Game of False Equivalency
Having been a journalist for nearly four decades, I understand that the media wants to appear to be even-handed. So American news organizations are establishing that there are equivalent issues on both sides of the presidential election campaign. But they aren’t equivalent. They are false equivalents. Take the two big issues that the media harps on regarding […]…
OPC Honors Yours Truly
I was surprised and honored. A rare combination! OPC Honors Bill Holstein…
