Opinion... or Not

In a review of a new biography of Henry Luce, founder and longtime publisher of Time, Inc., Bill Keller, Executive Editor of the New York Times, makes an astonishing an telling statement, which I shall ponder for a while:

"... [I]t is probably fair to say that the cacophony of today’s media — in which rumor and invective often outpace truth-testing, in which shouting heads drown out sober reflection, in which it is possible for people to feel fully informed without ever encountering an opinion that contradicts their prejudices — plays some role in the polarizing of our politics, the dysfunction of our political system and the increased cynicism of the American electorate."

Is this the price we pay for a blog- and Twitter-based multilogue? It is frequently evident in my daily interactions.