Manufactured Authoritativeness and Contrived Objectivity

By James R. Coggins
I have noticed a disturbing trend in modern news media, particularly television news. It is a tendency to engage in something I would call “manufactured authoritativeness” or “contrived objectivity.” What I mean is the increasing use of statements such as the following in news stories.
Many news reports start with a statement such as “There is outrage over…” A careful analysis of the rest of the report often reveals that the “o