No, liberal media bias isn’t a new thing, and sneaking editorializing into supposedly unbiased reporting isn’t a new thing, either. But over the last four years, both have simply gotten way out of control in mainstream media newsrooms. Unfortunately, journalists, news anchors, and other supposedly “neutral” media figures are showing little to no interest whatsoever in changing course and getting back to the basics of reporting the news free from political spin while allowing the readers/viewers to formulate their own opinions.

While there’s plenty of blame to go around on the issue of the coarsening of the public discourse, it is inarguable that left-wing agenda-driven news media outlets (and there are a ton of them) have greatly contributed to it – not just in their newsrooms, but also on the web, in particular on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. I have long argued that such platforms have escalated the decline of traditional, trusted, “shoe leather” journalism if for no other reason than that of the lure of RTs, likes, and favorable comments – and the desire to be accepted and loved by the DC Cocktail Circuit – overtakes all logic and reason.

Simply put, the desire for “Twitter fame” and to be seen as a “woke journo” among some in the media has, more often than not, taken the place of the need to report things honestly and objectively while letting the chips fall where they may and not worrying which side you might have upset. Just in the daily White House press briefings alone, we saw performance journalists like CNN’s Jim Acosta and PBS NewsHour reporter Yamiche Alcindor constantly editorialize in their questioning as well as in how they framed their exchanges on Twitter.

Earlier today, I came across a thread on this very topic from the late Herman Cain’s 2012 presidential campaign comms director Ellen Carmichael. Ms. Carmichael, who is now the president of a political comms firm, talked about how often it is now that unsubstantiated claims get passed off as fact in the media without any of the normal qualifiers they apply when it’s a Republican making them.

Rarely do you see “without evidence” attached to sensational Democrat allegations, nor do you see the typical heavy degree of skepticism applied to claims made by Democrats in the same way you see it frequently applied to Republican claims.

Editorializing/toeing the Democrat line in straight news reporting is a big, big problem in the media, Carmichael argues, and it is not helping in the whole “lowering of the temperature” and “unity and healing” thing Democrats and the media have been promoting over the last two months:

I’m increasingly concerned by how totally unsubstantiated claims are slipped in media reports and journos’ tweets.

Today, it was that Republicans sought to disenfranchise black voters but still celebrated MLK Day. The first part was declared as an absolute fact with no proof.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) January 19, 2021

Last week, it was that some Republicans were unmasked and, despite those unmasked Republicans not being COVID-positive while Democrats were COVID-positive, were implied to be responsible for some Democrats getting COVID.

Reported totally uncritically.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) January 19, 2021

Then there’s the crackpot theory from some Democrats that GOP lawmakers, the military and law enforcement are conspiring to attack/kill Democratic politicians. Again, reported without any of the typical “There is no evidence of this” that GOPers making outlandish claims get.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) January 19, 2021

The degree of editorializing that is now acceptable in reporting is breathtaking.

The number of straight news reporters, including TV personalities, who feel emboldened to make hyper-partisan declarations as facts is growing. Because things are so bad they have no choice, guys!

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) January 19, 2021

These are the same folks who lament the degradation of political discourse and civics ignorance because a good chunk of the population won’t tune in to their oh-so-super-serious-straight-news. But they refuse to acknowledge how their own editorializing is turning people off.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) January 19, 2021

Want to win back public trust and positively contribute to a restoration of some civil order? Stop. Editorializing. The. News.

The public have a good idea where the vast majority of the media stand politically. No need to rub it in their faces and have them search elsewhere.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) January 19, 2021

People are going to embrace fake news and even dangerous extremism if they sense the media condescend or mislead them. If some reporters are unable to demonstrate even the tiniest bit of restraint when it comes to keeping their opinions out of coverage, they’re making it worse.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) January 19, 2021

That’s what actual critical media analysis looks like. Are you paying attention, Brian Stelter?

You can read the full unread thread here.

Related: CNN’s Jake Tapper Feigns Moral Superiority About the Election Again, It Backfires Big Time