Did politics destroy journalism, or was it the other way around?

Author and investigative journalist Peter Schweizer, host of The Drill Down, sees the case for both but believes journalism has done more damage to itself than politicians could manage to do to them.

Schweizer says, “a friend of mine who used to be a producer on 60 Minutes said he thought that journalists became less interested in actual hard news coverage.” On the latest episode of The Drill Down podcast, his guest Mark Halperin, who had a front row seat to see it happening, agrees.

Halperin has been a fixture in political journalism for decades, as political director for ABC News, a senior political analyst at MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), and author of bestselling books on presidential elections such as “Game Change.” He is a critic of what he calls “the dominant media” culture, including all the places where he used to work. He hosts two influential podcasts called Next Up with Mark Halperin and Two Way Tonight.

Halperin is critical of both broadcast media and newspapers for alienating so much of their audience by becoming left-wing partisans. While the Washington Post just announced massive layoffs because of declining readership, the only major newspaper that has seen any growth is the New York Times, and many believe that is at least partially because of their move into adding daily puzzles.

Peter Schweizer and Mark Halperin Discuss the Future of Journalism