Blog Week 3: Expert Commentary, Expert Testimony, Academic Fields

Regardless of the issue being discussed, it sure seems like Economics and Political Science have been the most thoroughly represented disciplines in the media, at least since 2008 and the Great Recession. It’s hard to blame the media for such a focus because it seems like that’s what most viewers want to hear about.  Of course the financial health of the country and its citizens will always be a hot topic, and between the auto industry’s near collapse, the banking/mortgage fiasco, and subsequent high unemployment levels all coinciding with the beginning of Obama’s presidency, the media always had relevant economic news to cover. And since the government became heavily involved in each of those crises, political commentary proved of equal interest.  Add to that the partisan shenanigans that exploded with Obama’s presidency, which have shown no signs of slowing down, and the media continues to have persistent political news to cover and analyze by bringing on political intellectuals. I do see historians taking part in conversations, at least during election seasons and occasionally at other times as well, but other disciplines deserve more coverage.

Receiving short shrift, at least by some of the heavy hitters (CNN, Fox, MSNBC) are the academic disciplines of Sociology and Psychology.  Think about issues related to public education, immigration, unemployment, the mortgage crisis, gender and race, addiction, and the recent election. They all have sociological and psychological origins and implications, yet when they are discussed in the media, it’s usually in the context of the economy and/or the political landscape (exceptions for me are NPR and PBS.  I can't speak for a lot of other media outlets). What a shame. If the general public could be provided with more education about these issues by professional commentary by sociologists and psychologists, perhaps there would be an increase in empathy, compassion, and acceptance of others and less of a selfish how does this issue affect me attitude.  

Very generally speaking, the media has become more diverse in terms of who provides commentary.  We've definitely moved beyond turning on the news to see only distinquished white men.  However, the perspectives of the majority of commentators in the media do not seem particularly diverse and are deeply partisan.  Far-leaning right and left commentators are over-represented.  That’s one of the reasons why I do appreciate the people at NPR and PBS so much.  Their commentators may have political leanings, but they still acknowledge and respect the opinions of one another. Perspectives that are under-represented are any that are not politically motivated, and they may even be actively scorned.  Of course whether or not any disciplines are scorned could depend on a particular news outlet, due to its own biased coverage.