WHAT MAKES A COLUMNIST GOOD? Please remember that the rankings on Lying in Ponds are not intended to show which columnists are the "best", only those who seem to write the most partisan columns. There are obviously other characteristics such as accuracy, clarity, perspective, curiosity, creativity, etc. which are important. For me, excessive partisanship is a fatal flaw, because it indicates that a columnist has been unable or unwilling to portray the complex political world without resorting to "good party/bad party" distortion and oversimplification. I recognize that others will see partisanship as a more minor sin. In any event, my goal is to quantify and analyze partisanship, and then allow the readers to draw their own conclusions from there.
| Author/ Affiliation |
Title/ Date |
words | PI | Partisan References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Safire New York Times |
The Best Defense 14 April 2003 |
855 | 100 | 1D-: Democrats 4R+: Paul Wolfowitz, President Bush, Bush, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld |
| Robert L. Bartley WSJ OpinionJournal |
Wow, Who Are the Smart Guys? 14 April 2003 |
1173 | 62 | 1D-: Democrats 11R+: Bush, President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Cheney, administration, vice president, Cheney, Dick Cheney, Bush administration, the president, administration 2R-: Republican, Olympia Snowe 2R= |
| Bob Herbert Inactive |
Ultimate Insiders 14 April 2003 |
922 | 0 | 1D=, 17R= |
| Fred Hiatt Inactive |
Lies in the Absence Of Liberty 14 April 2003 |
995 | 0 | 1D=, 1R= |
| William Raspberry Washington Post |
No Apologies 14 April 2003 |
848 | 0 | 3R= |