A commentator, on the other hand, is someone with a specific viewpoint on an issue and is unabashed about sharing that viewpoint. You will find most commentators on the editorial page of the newspaper. The editorial page is also where the newspaper will take a stand on a particular topic or individual like an elected official. It is clear that they are stating an opinion versus an unbiased view of the news.
The article How Political Donors Are Changing Statehouse News Reporting from the November issue of Governing alerted me to the issue of statehouse and state capitol reporting. The bottom line is that mainstream news reporting on state government is declining and there is a surge of special interest funding going toward media sites that make no effort to provide objective news reporting.
The problem there is that many news consumers are not very discerning about where they get their news and if they can find a viewpoint that agrees with their personal philosophy, then they use the news source as confirmation of what they believe. It is a self-prophesying type of life and viewpoint.
I don't expect that I can be the little Dutch Boy to put his finger in the dike to stop the flood, but at least you should be aware for your own edification and making sure you understand where the viewpoint being expressed is coming from — financially and philosophically.
