I let the emotions of a different topic spill into this one...
But primarily the media lends validity to this banal idea that everyone can be, and should be allowed to be, a critic. That after the spontaneous decisions have been made (by officials or public leaders or parents or whoever...) that the media can go back and critique their decisions... add in extra information that wasn't considered... place importance where it wasn't originally placed... ad infinitum. Until the critic or the media (and those of us that have sucked in to their directed line of thought) look wise and the poor sap who made the instantaneous decision looks to be the idiot.
Just as my use of the word "leftist" caught your attention, the media can similarly select words that create contention.
A sports writer/reporter/commentator only has to use the word "controversial" (as in controversial call) and suddenly we know the officials have messed up the game. Was the call controversial from the official's viewpoint? Very likely NOT. Did the official really mess up the game. Again, very likely not. It was probably a call that needed to be made... did the call influence the game? Absolutely - they all do (as do the actions that prompted the need for the call). Did it determine the game? Again, very, very unlikely.
But one (player/coach/announcer/fan/Congressman) person's disagreement/dislike/emotional response/resentment can easily be passed over and never noticed. But once the response is propagated by the media through a TV screen/newspaper/300 fans/magazine/25 ESPN replays, the single, orginal resentment is now VALIDATED into the 'fact' that the descion maker was wrong! Let's pass some laws to get rid of, or remove the rights from these heinous officials/leaders/decisionmakers/generals/air traffic controllers/policemen/teachers/parents..... it's never ending.
You may have noticed that people always have the opinion that they are right... and if you agree with me you can be right too!
"A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still." Under duress and the pressures of logic he may agree on the outside but within, you are still wrong and he is right.
JMHRanting...
I also agree with you Juulie that what we refer to as the rightist media, have been too quiet. Their unwillingness to respond to the sensationalist, leftist media is, I feel, leading to our social demise.