The slippery slope here is that once news organizations declare their allegiance (or enmity) to a political faction, where does it end? In the past eight years, we’ve learned the answer, especially at the New York Times. Partisanship inside a newsroom inevitably morphs into a reluctance to entertain countervailing ideas, an unwillingness to present counterbalancing facts or arguments, and ultimately a refusal to even grant those you disagree with a platform to air their side of the story.
This has resulted in the most discordant features of modern political discourse: journalists pushing to restrict the free press. The motivations of would-be censors range from authentic concerns about misinformation to petty jealousy and financial incentives to undercut business competitors. Whatever the rationale, agitating to demonetize rival news outlets has only one real goal: stifling diversity of expression and turning the “marketplace of ideas” into a monopoly.
