When the New York Times speaks, people tend to listen. A sort of godly reverence characterizes even other media sources’ views of their work — as if they have some kind of secret, something that makes their coverage more “true” than anyone else’s. Even right-wing blowhards who are constantly bemoaning the NYT quote and cite from it regularly.
That’s why it was so sad to see Mark Leibovich’s epic hit job about how much he hates Chris Matthews today. Seriously. Set to appear in this sunday’s Times Magazine, it’s a nine-page litany of reasons why Leibovich personally detests Matthews, peppered audaciously with constant and unfounded suggestions that Matthews be taken off the air and, presumably, shot in the back lot.
The main criticism seems to be that Matthews isn’t liberal or conservative or young enough to draw the kind of partisan audience the cable networks feed off of these days. That may be true, but his show is also the best on TV. The Times paints him as a complete loon, but his coverage is far more balanced than anyone else who gets paid to talk about politics. It’s even keeled, and Matthews’ only sin appears to be turning off both liberals and conservatives because of his varied viewpoints, which regularly teeter back and forth between political ideologies.
Leibovich couches his criticisms in a “Chris has a loudmouth style which is going out of style,” sort of arrogance for a print writer. But he comes to that conclusion by comparing Matthews with on-air clowns Jon Stewart and Keith Olberman, both of whom fish for viewers by being “hilariously” unprofessional and devoting significant airtime to footage of dancing bears.
If that is indeed the future of “smart, young” political coverage, then put me on the same train Matthews boards out of town.
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