On Breitbart: How does one not speak ill of the dead?

Sorry, you won't find much grieving around these parts. David Frum sums up well:

It's difficult for me to assess Breitbart's impact upon American media and American politics as anything other than poisonous. When one of the leading media figures of the day achieves his success by his giddy disdain for truth and fairness--when one of our leading political figures offers to his admirers a politics inflamed by rage and devoid of ideas--how to withhold a profoundly negative judgment on his life and career? Especially when that career was so representative of his times?

We live in a time of political and media demagoguery unparalleled since the 19th century. Many of our most important public figures have gained their influence and power by inciting and exploiting the ugliest of passions--by manipulating fears and prejudices--by serving up falsehoods as reported truth. In time these figures will one by one die. What are we to say of this cohort, this group, this generation? That their mothers loved them? That their families are bereaved? That their fans admired them and their employees treated generously by them? Public figures are inescapably judged by their public actions. When those public actions are poisonous, the obituary cannot be pleasant reading.


More by Mark Lacter:
American-US Air settlement with DOJ includes small tweak at LAX
Socal housing market going nowhere fast
Amazon keeps pushing for faster L.A. delivery
Another rugged quarter for Tribune Co. papers
How does Stanford compete with the big boys?
Those awful infographics that promise to explain and only distort
Best to low-ball today's employment report
Further fallout from airport shootings
Crazy opening for Twitter*
Should Twitter be valued at $18 billion?
Recent Celebrity stories:
Conrad Murray released from LA county jail this morning
AEG not liable in Michael Jackson's death, jury rules
Bob Hope estate in Toluca Lake listed for $27.5 million
Streisand, Tom Cruise take in Anne Frank preview
Sarah Silverman's touching obituary for her beloved Duck

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Mark Lacter
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.
 
Mark Lacter, business writer and editor was 59
The multi-talented Mark Lacter
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