ABC’s This Week with David Brinkley began as a serious platform for political discourse when it premiered in 1981, positioning itself as one of the major Sunday morning talk shows alongside Meet the Press and Face the Nation. Under Brinkley’s stewardship, the show built a reputation for in-depth interviews and balanced political discussions, known for featuring tough questioning of politicians from both sides of the aisle. However, in recent years, This Week has faced criticism for a decline in gravitas, as it has increasingly leaned toward a leftist political bent, becoming part of a larger media landscape where ideological bias and sensationalism are more prevalent than the objective journalism of previous decades.

During Brinkley’s era, the show was notable for its gravitas and intellectual rigor. Brinkley himself, with his calm demeanor and reputation as a seasoned journalist, embodied an era of television news that prioritized factual, sober reporting over partisan commentary. The program featured a roundtable discussion format that included a variety of viewpoints, and while it touched on important political and social issues, it rarely veered into the partisan divides that dominate today’s media. The goal was to inform the audience, rather than to persuade them toward a particular ideological perspective.

A perception that This Week is no longer the nonpartisan, rigorous journalistic platform it once was under Brinkley’s stewardship took hold. To regain its former gravitas, This Week would need to recommit to providing a balanced platform for all viewpoints and focus on the deeper, more substantive analysis that made it a cornerstone of Sunday morning political discourse. Don’t hold your breath waiting for it while Democrat political activist George Stephanopoulos is running around in the building.

C. Rich Book

Bloody Newsroom: How Fake News from One Station Drove Another Newsroom’s Staff to be Murdered Live on TV 

C. Rich

C. Rich is the voice behind America Speaks Ink, home to the America First Movement. As an author, freelance ghostwriter, poet, and blogger, C. Rich brings a “baked-in” perspective shaped by growing up on the streets and beaches of South Florida in the 1970s-1980s and brings a quintessential Generation-X point of view.

Rich’s writing journey began in 2008 with coverage of the Casey Anthony trial and has since evolved into a wide-ranging exploration of politics, culture, and the issues that define our times. Follow C. Rich’s writing odyssey here at America Speaks Ink and on Amazon with a multi-book series on Donald Trump called “Trump Era: The MAGA Files” and many other books and subjects C. Rich is known to cover.  CRich@AmericaSpeaksInk.com

“America Speaks Ink is a Google News approved source for Opinion”