Politico editor defends puffing up Breitbart

Politico editor defends puffing up Breitbart

At best, it seems like comically awful timing. At worst, it seems symptomatic of an accountability-free Beltway media culture that rewards buzz-creation above all else.

Either way, Politico has given a coveted slot on its just-released "50 Politicos to Watch" package to none other than ... Andrew Breitbart. Politico's write-up glowingly described Breitbart's wit and "edge," with no mention of his rather widely-discussed Shirley Sherrod caper, which by any measure should have dealt his credibility a severe blow.

But Politico editor John Harris defended the decision in an email to me. He said the piece had been assigned and completed long before the Sherrod flap, though he conceded the timing was unfortunate.

<...>

All this aside, as David Kurtz notes today, the Politico piece describes Breitbart as Arianna Huffington's "consevative counterpart." This is symptomatic of a larger media refusal to see the Breitbart tale for what it is: Proof that ideologically-driven new media, for want of a better term, is not all created equal.