On A Polarized Press...

Karl Rove speaking at the Spring 2005 Richard Harwood Lecture in American Journalism

"The topic John [Harwood] assigned me is 'The Polarized Press: Media and Politics in the Age of Bush.' Now that I've got the microphone, I can quibble with the speech title. It suggests that the press is polarized because this is the Age of Bush. I disagree. The Age of President Bush, 43, did not cause the polarization. Four things contributed to that condition: first, an explosion in the channels of communication; second, an even larger increase in the demand for content by those channels; third, the competitive pressures these two factors create for working journalists; and fourth and final, the oppositional attitude of the press."

— Karl Rove, Senior Advisor to the President George W. Bush and White House Deputy Chief of Staff, speaking at the Spring 2005 Richard Harwood Lecture in American Journalism, April 18, 2005.