Political Reporting
Our politicians have undergone a personality change. Where just a couple of decades ago we had officeholders who were willing to take their lumps on the issues, today we're getting candidates who are "absolutely obsessed with power."
The hyperactivity of the press is transforming our political system, claims Larry J. Sabato, professor of government at the University of Virginia. Journalists have invaded candidates' privacy, turning peccadilloes into scandals, he says in his new book, Feeding Frenzy (Free Press). As a result, the price of public life is now so high that "the kind of people we ought least to want in office"--the power-crazed--are the only ones likely to go for it.
Sabato says that journalists have ceased being reporters and now function as gatekeepers. They've replaced the political parties in selecting who will, and will not, run for office. His extensive interviews turned up a lot of journalists who agree with him. They also see the rise of scandal-mongering with alarm.
