Kass: Bulls Could Drown on the River Card

This blog post originally appeared on RealMoney Silver on May 12 at 8:02 a.m. EDT.

"The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything. Except what is worth knowing. Journalism, conscious of this, and having tradesman-like habits, supplies their demands."

-- Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man Under Socialism (1891)

Far too often, the usual bullish suspects are marched on business television with the same bullish pablum, regardless of the economic and credit circumstances. Typically, the commentators nod in agreement, with limited questioning/testing and certainly little in the way of inquisitive delving of their interviewees.

As many are aware, I have been openly critical of the media (especially of a CNBC-kind), regarding what I believe to be:

• excessive optimism;
• bullish dogma;
• the limited amount of intelligent market debate; and
• a lack of rigor in some very convicted bullish analyses and an even weaker logic of argument.

One should recognize that these are just my opinions and I have no concession of the truth. While, at times, my criticism might appear too zealous, forceful and absolute, I certainly recognize that I am not the final arbiter of objectivity. Lord knows, I have my own agenda in talking my (short) book!

Nevertheless, I have attempted to be even-handed, and I have tried to document my criticisms, providing input/ideas that I believe would lead to a more balanced Fourth Estate debate on the large "bully pulpit" that they inhabit. My criticism has, at times, infuriated members of the media (read: producers and commentators), but I have remained steadfast in my objections.

A Very Special 'Squawk Box'

Of all the media outlets, I have appeared mostly on CNBC over the last decade. Unlike many that frequently appear on CNBC, I am not a CNBC contributor, and I do not get paid when I appear. As such, I can speak my mind without fear of retribution, though I can be denied (and no doubt have been denied) future invitations to be on specific shows and segments.

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