Bret Stephens: A First Draft of History? Call the rewrite man!

A member of the Wall Street Journal's editorial board looks at why and how reporters so often fail to see what's coming or what counts. I'm cheating here, and giving the ending instead of the beginning:

...As for the media, it shouldn't be too difficult to do better. Look for the countervailing data. Broaden your list of sources. Beware of exoticizing your subject: If you think that Israelis and Palestinians operate from no higher motive than revenge, you're on the wrong track. Above all, never forget the obvious: that the law of supply and demand operates in Japan, too; that the Soviet Union was a state governed by fear; that Iraqis aren't rooting for their killers; that, if given the chance, people will choose to be free.

Simple maxims, but how much embarrassment would the media be spared if only they followed them.

File this under: media myths, common sense, journalism, history, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s.