Starting in 1950, as the fear of communist subversion spread throughout America, McCarthy launched hearings that were based on scant evidence and overblown charges.
Today’s anchors on politically slanted news programs feed anger and polarization with their wild claims. Their ancestor is a character from ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ – with one big difference.
Why do TV news shows book interviews with people who lie or obfuscate? Dogged interviewer Mike Wallace was an example of how to do it right. But on live TV, it’s almost impossible to do what he did.