A Commonplace Book

[A]dvocacy is an essential part of journalism - if we're not pushing to teach, to engage and to motivate with our reporting, then what's the use of writing it? I won't criticize Fox News for its advocacy, or even for its partisanship. I think both [are] fine for news organizations. Newspapers for generations have employed crusading editorial writers and op-ed columnists. My problems with Fox News are its lying and its bigotry. We need advocacy - advocacy for the world view that evidence matters, that it can't be brushed aside it if challenges a desired ideology, and that it shouldn't be selectively molded to fit that ideology. We need advocacy against granting public influence to voices that promote ideology over evidence and the protection of powerful friends over spreading the truth.