Media Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media - Assignment Example Steve Forbes is a well-respected president and CEO of Forbes magazine, a business journal that is highly regarded in the business sector. He was also a Republican candidate in 1996 and 2000, putting forth such conservative ideas as the flat tax, a rehaul of Social Security, school choice and a strong national defense. (Forbes.com). While I respect Mr. Forbes, in that he is very accomplished and obviously very learned, I do not agree with his fundamental values, as I consider myself to be more of a Democrat than a Republican. That said, there is no denying that Mr. Forbes is a well-respected man within his field. However, because I do not agree with him on his fundamental values, it is difficult to not have a jaundiced eye on his editorials. Then, after reading just a few paragraphs, my eye was jaundiced to him even more – he derisively quotes Robert Reich in his article â€Å"Isnt Capitalism Brutal?†, stating that Reich, expressing the view that Wal-Mart crushes retailers, â€Å"complained that the retailing giant has turned main streets into ghost towns by sucking business away from small retailers." (Forbes, 2009). Then, I actually found the article to which he was speaking, and it turns out that Robert Reich did state the above quote, but that he was stating that this is what Wal-Mart detractors say about Wal-Mart. The article actually defends Wal-Marts practices overall. (Reich, 2005). In other words, Forbes took Reichs words completely out of context. If you read Forbes article, you would assume that Reich actually believes that Wal-Mart is bad and turns towns into ghost towns, but when you read the actual article, you realize that Reich is stating just the opposite. I am not sure why Forbes did thi s – Reich was labor secretary from 1993 to 1997 - in other words, he was President Clintons labor secretary - and he did