Journalism's failure - the personalization of politics.
I've watched some of the Christie story as it has played out over news outlets. There's been some good reporting along the lines of Who, what, where, when. The basics. Yet much has been overshadowed by larger speculation about Christies's 2016 options, has he lost Republican backing?, who's the next front runner in the Republican presidential primary contests?
I'm not articulating this well, yet I think journalism's primary role is - Who, what, where, when. Pundits as well as any of us can speculate on what it all means.
And journalism has an option to highlight the larger issues that may be in play here. How does a governmental organization effectively implement the primary goals their leaders were elected to support? What can we do better? What constitutes accountability to the public?
And of course, the Who, what, where, when of the event in real, local terms are basic. That seems to be a sideline save for some snippets, though.
The stories key on Gov. Christie. Politics are a subtext, of course. I guess I'm suggesting his role be included in the big picture. Yet to the point, i.e. - the big picture could be the story.