5 Best Sunday Columns

Big Pharma, the BP oil spill, embedded journalism and more...

• Michael Brune on the BP Oil Spill  The CNN contributor says our energy policy needs to change: "The oil disaster plaguing the Gulf of Mexico and our coastal states puts our desperate need for a new clean energy economy in stark relief. We need to move away from dirty, dangerous and deadly energy sources. We are pleased that the White House is now saying it will suspend any new offshore drilling while the explosion and spill are investigated, but there should be no doubt left that drilling will only harm our coasts and the people who live there."

• David Ignatius on the "Embedded Media"  The Washington Post columnist describes a disturbing trend in journalism: "I fear that embedded media are becoming the norm, and not just when it comes to war. The chroniclers of political and cultural debates increasingly move in a caravan with one side or another, as well. This nonmilitary embedding may have a different rationale, but there's a similar effect that comes with traveling under the canopy of a particular candidate, party or community. Journalists gain access to information and talkative sources, but also the distortions and biases that come with being 'on the bus' or 'on the plane.' The larger troubles of the news business are complicated, but this problem is simple: We can't understand what we don't see; we can't explain a conflict if we hear from only one side."

• Charlotte Allen on Media Coverage of the Catholic Abuse Scandal  The Los Angeles Times contributor says criticism of the Church has gone beyond the pale. She questions the motivations of papal detractors: "The anti-Catholic media frenzy has gotten to the point that even the staunchly nonreligious Brendan O'Neill, editor of Spiked, denounced what he called a 'secular inquisition' aimed at the church. As the insult 'men in dresses' that typically accompanies the attacks signifies, the new round of supposed revelations about Benedict has little to do with vindicating abuse victims or punishing clerical pedophiles. It has everything to do with discrediting and destroying the Catholic papacy and the Catholic Church as we know them and replacing them with something more to the bashers' liking."

• Ezra Klein on Wall Street Ethics  Writing for Newsweek, the Washington Post blogger says Wall Street needs a wake up call: "The problem for [Fabrice] Tourre—and for Wall Street more broadly—is that they're so intent on proving that what they did was legal that they can't see that what they did was wrong. These are men (and they usually are men) of the market, and they played by the market's rules. And the market's rules are these: you make as much money as you can without actually going to jail."

• The WSJ on Harry Reid and Big Pharma  The Journal says Reid is in the pocket of major pharmaceutical companies. The evidence? Reid's latest campaign ad spot:

A new TV ad is up in Mr. Reid's home state praising the Democrat for creating "good Nevada jobs," expanding "clean energy" and providing "tax credits for small business." Moreover, "thanks to Harry Reid's leadership, if you change or lose your job, you can keep your health care coverage." The ad encourages viewers to call Mr. Reid's office, where no doubt they will be routed to his donation line. All this is courtesy of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, in league with the liberal health-advocacy group Families USA. ...the ad is partly a thank you to Democrats for new customers.