Political reporters know only four stories: (1) who’s up and who’s down, (2) how much money candidates have raised, (3) which candidates have made what gaffes, and (4) who’s attacking whom. They’re not trained to report on what the candidates actually say, or the economic and social realities that are fueling what they say and why their candidacies are catching on (or not).
— Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, articulating one of the biggest problems with our mass media’s coverage of politics (via Facebook).