Much has been made by a few of my past criticisms of various media outlets, including CNN, with whom I will be working in the role of a contributor, it was announced last week.
A broadcaster and a “teabagger,” as I’ve been called in the past by many a news outlet, I stand by ten-plus years of blogging that has covered everything from politics to parenting to politics. Mainly politics. I deleted nothing from my websites because I don’t hide my opinions. I like to leave them all out there for posterity, even the ones I wrote in college when I was a big liberal. I don’t think criticism precludes participation, which is a defining characteristic of conservatism when compared to progressivism.
That’s why I was impressed with CNN’s unprejudiced desire to include diverse voices on their network. I can see why other networks may have a problem with it: CNN is reaching out to a whole new audience by including a fair amount of voices. I realize that many progressives simply won’t like any conservative voice that CNN may feature – I know Erick Erickson has taken a considerable amount of heat – which disappoints me as I know progressives are big proponents of fairness on the airwaves.
Everyone at CNN has been incredibly welcoming and I’ve enjoyed meeting them. They know what I do, who I am, what I believe, and that constructive criticism and praise, when deserved, are de rigueur at Big Journalism, and I’d venture a guess that it’s all probably why they asked me to contribute. This is how discussions work, that’s how ideas are exchanged. You can’t preach only to the choir and no debate was ever won by staying in camp and talking only to the troops. Isn’t that what it’s all about? I think it’s a great step towards diversity and fair discussion, and I am glad to be part of it – and I hope those out there watching will recognize this step, have an open mind, and be a part of it, too.
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