GOTCHA!
The 17th Century Origins of American Journalism
"... a Vehicle to expose vice and corruption and offer free speech
for the common good..." ...
That's how our forefathers described their intention for American journalism. Another way of saying "Gotcha!" when you get down to it.
So, when Sara Palin condescendingly deferred to the media as "gotcha journalism," she was condeming the very foundation on which this country was established. Without "Gotcha" journalism, Americans would never know about Watergate.
Just one foray into the vast American Newspaper Archive, which dates back to the earliest papers in 1721, displays dozens examples of the "gotcha journalism" that the early colonists had in mind to expose the vice and corruption of their tyrannical British rulers.
Here's another example, dated 1648, as highlighted at http://gilbertmabbott.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/actual-gotcha-journalism/.
Views and statements expressed here do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of this newspaper. The Sedona Observer abides by media law and upholds the time-honored policies of the Journalism Code of Ethics. It publishes all opinions under the First Amendment and welcomes those with opposing views to submit letters and testimonials.
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