No, Right-Wing ‘Rhetoric’ Isn’t to Blame for the Media Credibility Crisis

CNN’s unintentional acts of public service deserve recognition.

Network anchor Abby Phillip, for example, alleged in total earnestness last week that the erosion of media credibility is driven largely by right-wing rhetoric, as opposed to anything members of the press have said or done.

This is abject nonsense, as decades of data show. Her assertion amounts to little more than accountability dodging. But in a particularly ironic twist, Phillip’s too-convenient explanation exemplifies why the public has less faith in the news industry than even Wall Street or Big Pharma. It turns out people tend not to trust those unwilling to admit fault, and they trust even less those incapable of introspection.