Polarized Media   

I generally agree with Rem Rieder's reservations about polarization in the media ("Talking to Themselves," Online Exclusive). I wish there was no such thing as a radio or TV station defined by the ideology of its programming. But it's an established fact, and I also find it troubling that commentators only start highlighting its corrosive effect at a time when liberal commentary is just beginning to establish itself. Where were they when Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and the rest were not only entrenching themselves in right-wing media, but also spreading a kind of ideology that is distinguished by its toxic nastiness, as opposed to old-school conservatism?

I weep for our media, but I will shed absolutely no tears over the fact that MSNBC will now have two consecutive hours of hosts who are unashamedly liberal and articulate and do not invent their own facts.

Kimon Papadopoulos

Rochester, New York