I see you’re talking about TV news, but speaking about journalism in general, partisanship is the norm in US history. Three networks and your local paper who all basically agreed is the anomaly.
Early newspapers were explicitly partisan, often being organs of political parties. Abolitionist newspapers were hyper-partisan in their coverage of the most contentious issue in US history. The “yellow” journalism of Hearst and others is blamed for stoking the Spanish American war over sensational (and false) claims about the sinking of the USS Maine.
The “objective” journalism of the early-mid 20th Century happens to coincide with the height of government censorship and corporate control of the national narrative.
I see you’re talking about TV news, but speaking about journalism in general, partisanship is the norm in US history. Three networks and your local paper who all basically agreed is the anomaly.
Early newspapers were explicitly partisan, often being organs of political parties. Abolitionist newspapers were hyper-partisan in their coverage of the most contentious issue in US history. The “yellow” journalism of Hearst and others is blamed for stoking the Spanish American war over sensational (and false) claims about the sinking of the USS Maine.
The “objective” journalism of the early-mid 20th Century happens to coincide with the height of government censorship and corporate control of the national narrative.