Now Playing at Reason.tv: How the WSJ editorial page gets made—Q&A with Robert Pollock

May 12, 2008

Former reason intern Robert Pollock has been the editorial features page editor at The Wall Street Journal for more than a year. The Buffalo native sat down recently with reason.tv to talk about how he came to his libertarian beliefs; how the mainstream media is toeing the Journal's line on capital gains taxes; why The Washington Post is the Journal's toughest competition and why The New York Times' editorial pages have a "hectoring" tone; how the GOP turned its back on its small-government philosophy; why America needs more immigrants; and much more.

This 10-minute interview was conducted by reason.tv Editor Nick Gillespie and filmed by reason.tv's Dan Hayes.

Click below to view.

script src="http://www.reason.tv/embed/video.php?id=417" type= "text/javascript"> /script>

Comments

|5.12.08 @ 3:11PM|#

I appreciate that Reason is branching out to video, but could you *please* post a transcript for these kinds of videos? It only takes 5 minutes to read a 10 minute interview, and I don't like to have to listen to sound that will bug other people in the room (or deal with not hearing something in the video because others are making noise, watching TV, etc).

TIA

|5.12.08 @ 3:48PM|#

In addition to being in favor of a central bank and occasionally doing pro-war propoganda we are also employed by the earphones industry. Seriously, buy some earphones.

|5.12.08 @ 4:05PM|#

I am SICK of Barnett trying to co-opt the cosmotarian movement!

I never would have guessed that he was a "Randy Barnett Libertarian"...it would have been interesting to know why he only picked about one libertarian editorial the entire year and it was only about the war issue and it happened to be Randy Barnett who wrote it. I personally think Pollock could be doing much more to promote the the transexual heroine cafes and a keynesian libertarian monetary policy implememnted by the altruistic federal reserve.

At least McCain is a real spending hawk! At least Barnett liebrtarians and cosmotarians all agree, human beings are a plus except for camel jockies and gooks, we need to kill them.

Orange Line Special|5.12.08 @ 4:28PM|#

The best part? You don't need to watch the video to know he's wrong!

Obviously, we do occasionally need new people to come here, the only question is how many, from where, with what skills, and so forth. Clearly, making such distinctions and then discussing them in an intellectually honest way is too much for the hacks at Reason and at the WSJ.

|5.12.08 @ 4:51PM|#

Just like old Milton Friedman said Welfare State + Open Immigration = Happiness for eternity.

It is scientifically proven, Ron Bailey told me about it.

Brandon as the Paleotarian Str|5.12.08 @ 5:21PM|#

In addition to favoring socialism and the murdering of babies, us Cosmos are also in the pocket of Big iPod. Since none of us here read LewRockwell.com, we're totally clueless about things like why white, heterosexual supremacy is awesome and strongly believe that all money and economic issues should be controlled as tightly as possible? Free market? Never heard of it. We're too busy snorting vodka and expensive pharmaceuticals. Those are things that only Paleos and Charles Harris libertarians have even heard of, they're so cool. Instead, we get confused about Milton Friedman's qualms with welfare. So what if he's against it; we're imaginary creatures invented by pandertarians. We can love both Friedman AND welfare!

Also, I'm hereby canceling my membership to your RSS feed. Reason sucks. What? You ask how I can do that, even though I've already canceled it? I renewed it, just to cancel it again, to doubly expose reason for the Neocon commies they are.

charlie|5.12.08 @ 6:07PM|#

Gee, I wonder why most people view libertarians of the Reason ilk as mere defenders of the corporate state... could it be because the editors herald the fucking WSJ's features editors as some sort of profile in libertarian courage?

Reason libertarianism is perfect for mainstream Republicans who don't mind Will and Grace -- you know, they don't hate the fags all that much and don't want to pay capital gains taxes. Promotion of peace? Bah, that's hippie shit, man. Libertarianism is all about laughing at "leftists", promoting corporatism and the interests of Wall Street (or do I repeat myself) as the "free market", and bitching about the increasing totalitarianism of political correctness. Issues of war and peace? Shit, Reason editor Matt Welch couldn't even be bothered to have an opinion about the Iraq war (or so he says), which is about right considering the last editor, since discredited after advocating an illegal war, now writes almost entirely about the fascinating world of fonts.

What a thrilling movement to be a part of.

Orange Line Special|5.12.08 @ 10:55PM|#

Charlie writes:

Gee, I wonder why most people view libertarians of the Reason ilk as mere defenders of the corporate state... could it be because the editors herald the fucking WSJ's features editors as some sort of profile in libertarian courage?

Reason libertarianism is perfect for mainstream Republicans who don't mind Will and Grace -- you know, they don't hate the fags all that much and don't want to pay capital gains taxes. Promotion of peace? Bah, that's hippie shit, man. Libertarianism is all about laughing at "leftists", promoting corporatism and the interests of Wall Street (or do I repeat myself) as the "free market", and bitching about the increasing totalitarianism of political correctness. Issues of war and peace? Shit, Reason editor Matt Welch couldn't even be bothered to have an opinion about the Iraq war (or so he says), which is about right considering the last editor, since discredited after advocating an illegal war, now writes almost entirely about the fascinating world of fonts.

What a thrilling movement to be a part of.

Heh.

Paul|5.12.08 @ 11:30PM|#

Charlie, oh where to start?

I'll keep it simple.

The "corporate state" as you call it, is almost an exclusively Democratic institution as of late.

Progressives: The movement that doesn't hate black people all that much.

And Matt Welch has no opinion on Iraq, huh? Ok.

Charlie, let me guess the opener you really wanted to write:

"For a magazine called Reason..."

chris|5.13.08 @ 5:23PM|#

"We go get our own facts. We just don't take what the reporters are giving us." One of the funniest things I've ever heard.WSJ editorial "facts" often contradict their reporters and common sense (and simple math).

|5.14.08 @ 6:11PM|#

I have really liked a lot of what I've seen on reason tv. But is there anything that can be done about that awful intro music? reason is probably is one the most influential libertarian organizations in the country, why the hell does it use cheap MIDI music right out of an eighties porno?