Romenesko

Boston Phoenix
The argument that political journalists have improved their collective performance -- but that the improvement comes with an asterisk -- seems to be a popular one, says Adam Reilly. Media critic Michael Massing believes external factors, including the Abu Ghraib scandal and Hurricane Katrina, have made it easier for the press to treat the Bush administration with proper aggression. "My premise on all this," he says, "is that the more powerful a president is, the less aggressive the press is."