The Commentary Magazine Podcast Wishcasting Failure
20 snips
Mar 11, 2026 Seth Mandel, columnist on Jewish and cultural affairs, and Chris Stirewalt, former Fox News political editor and media analyst, debate media bias and partisan incentives. They discuss negative war coverage, why pessimistic predictions spread, partisan nastiness blocking popular policies, controversies around public figures and pro-Palestine claims, and the modern relevance of The Oppermanns.
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New York Times as Unmatched Agenda Setter
- The New York Times now shapes national coverage because of its subscriber scale and product breadth.
- Chris Stirewalt notes 13 million subscribers plus lifestyle features turned the Times into the default agenda-setter for other outlets.
Media Incentives Favor Pessimistic War Coverage
- Negative coverage of a war is low-risk for journalists but high-reward if it proves prescient, so pessimistic takes proliferate.
- Chris Stirewalt explains critics face little penalty if doom doesn't materialize, but gain credibility if it does.
Rising Public Cynicism Undercuts Governance
- Public cynicism about fellow citizens deepens media skepticism and erodes trust necessary for governance.
- Abe Greenwald cites a Pew poll showing unusually high American contempt for compatriots, making effective self-government harder.
