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SEPTEMBER 10, 2003 –
"Are we out of step with the administration because we do not
comport completely to their political point of view?' he asks. 'So
they criticize us for it. It goes with the territory, and if we get
a groundswell we begin to look at ourselves. "Are we? Are we not?" I
don't think the public realizes how much soul-searching goes on in
news organizations about what is the right thing to do.'" -
Peter Jennings, as quoted in USA Today.
Here is a clear example of how the mainstream media has been bullied
to the right. Look at his question, "Are we out of step with
the administration..." as if he is supposed to be a puppet station
that is in step with the administration.
Then he says, "...if we get a groundswell (of criticism) we begin to
look at ourselves. 'Are we?" Exactly what the Bush-brand
bullies hope for.
The anchor of ABC World News tonight says ''We have been criticized,
a little bit to my surprise, by people who think I was not enough
pro-war." He is surprised? What planet is he living on,
and how can a news anchor for one of the biggest networks really not
be aware of the obvious tactic that is the main tool of the Bushies - that
they insult anyone who doesn't say exactly what they want them to as
left-wing, biased, etc.
Perhaps the thing this interview with Peter shows most is that this
belligerent bullying is new to the American experience.
That someone who has been in the business for so long is caught by
surprise by these basic, politically motivated bullying tactics
means it truly is just something this new breed of Bush/Limbaugh
Republican has brought into the mix.
But, the fact that Peter Jennings and ABC News fall weakly for the
game and start asking, "Are we," biased, and then start, "soul
searching," as he says they do a lot of, just shows that they are
not prepared to stand up for the game, and not capable of being an
unbiased news source due to their weakness and naiveté.
To remain truly unbiased you have to take the stand that we at The
Moderate Independent do and not give a damned about who writes what
in an e-mail - to simply care about only one thing, reporting what
is true. And not caring in the least if the truth falls or
appears to fall or people claim it falls more on one side than the
other. It is for the parties and people to decide how much
they want to embrace the truth and what is truly best for America
and how much they want to lie and be destructive, not for the media.
And so if one party gets out of line and they get disagreed with by
a news source that boldly relates the truth wherever it falls, it is
for the party and its people to do the soul searching, not the news
source, Peter.
It is stunning, yet expected, to see how the mainstream media cowers
and panders. It is disgusting to see the anchor of ABC World
News Tonight asking defensively, "Are we out of step with the
administration because we do not comport completely to their
political point of view?" instead of asserting boldly, as we do,
that a reporter should not and must not care who he ends up in line
with or not, but only about the truth. And it is humiliating
and degrading for Peter and ABC, and the rest of the mainstream
media that has allowed itself to be bullied so far into Bush's camp,
that they allow obvious political operatives and partisan supporters
who send Rush Limbaugh-like e-mails as part of a matter of course to
affect what they do in any way.
Shame on Peter Jennings and ABC News for being so weak and cowardly
and, frankly, stupid, to not see that this all just part of the Bush
campaign strategy. But thank you, Mr. Jennings, for making the
case once again why it is vital to have a news source like The
Moderate Independent to give voice to something no one else is
brave enough to do: the unbiased, bully-proof truth.
And if you wonder why it is that someone as intelligent as Peter has
come to be so sniveling and cowardly, I think this final quote from
the interview says it all: ''As long as the people who run
these huge corporations (that own ABC and every other major news
outlet) believe that they are a public trust and that we and the
public never let them forget it, then I think we'll be fine.''
Hey Pete. They are not public trusts. They are
publicly-held companies, that care about one thing above all.
No, they don't care about truth, as we do, without regard to ratings
or advertising revenue. No, Pete, they only care about money,
and so gluing as many people to the TV as possible to get ratings
up, even if you have to pander and compromise fact to do it.
If you want to be free of such pressure and set loose to practice as
a journalist should, you should come to work for a news source that
actually is a public trust. We have a desk waiting for you
here over at The Moderate Independent. Unfortunately, we can
only offer you the position of errand-boy to start until we can
restore your confidence and courage and get you back into the swing
of what it is to care about integrity above pleasant e-mails.
And as we are finding out, simply report the truth, and the ratings
take care of themselves, because there are an awful lot of people
out there who are hungry for what ABC and all the other major
outlets are too wussy to deliver: true, free American
reporting.
REFERENCE:
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030909/5481046s.htm
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