Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 1:01am
Demand more from our media
Column: All Paths
When Will Rogers said, "All I know is what I read in the papers," what did he mean? I don't know. But I don't think he meant that he stopped demanding and searching for truth and excellence in our society. And I am sad to say that is what many of us in this country have stopped doing.
In this column last week I said that we have lost faith in America's major institutions, including our government and politicians, banks, corporations, churches and schools. I also mentioned the media. I saved the media for last, because that's who I am going to focus on today.
Now I admit that I can sit there and watch the cable news shows for hours. Heck, I wake up to CNN and go to bed with CNN. Yes, I am a CNN addict. Yes, I do have a life, which includes my family, work, a loving dog, friend, golf and more golf and, thank God, even romance.
Why am I saying all of this, and how does it relate to the quote by Will Rogers? You see, Will Rogers lived in much simpler times. The major source of information was the newspaper. From what little I know about him, he is probably saying that he did not know much and perhaps even less as a result of relying on the newspapers of the day. Or he could have meant that if it wasn't in print, then it did not happen. You know that old question, "If a tree falls in the woods and there's no one around to hear, does it make a sound?"
Yes, it does make a sound! Many trees fall every day and night and the media do not report it. The venerated Ted Koppel said, "The media [are] no longer dealing with many issues that are important." The reason Ted said this is because the media report what they believe you want to hear. And maybe the polls and focus groups they use to make their decisions about what you want to hear are probably as wrong as the polls they used to predict an Obama victory over Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary earlier this year. (Hey, I am an Obama supporter and was very comfortable making this statement.)
I firmly believe that what we want is credible reporting and the truth. We don't need news based on what a certain demographic finds appealing. What we need are media that search for the truth and draw attention to the real problems of the day. I am sure that the problem with the levees in New Orleans could have been exposed and maybe prevented if the media wanted to get out there and uncover some worthy news instead of waiting for it to fall in their laps.
You know, we get our information from so many sources in this highly digitized world of ours. So it seems that someone or some news group ought to step up and start feeding us some worthy news based on good ole-fashioned journalistic techniques like searching for it and reporting it in an unfiltered manner.
I will end my discussion with you today and leave you to reflect on the following quote from the website Transparency:
"The news media has become a part of the power and economic system that it is supposed to report on. Instead of standing at a distance from events and trying to provide an accurate account, all too often it is just another inside player manipulating information for its own ends. This not only means that media companies have a conflict of interest but also that journalists who would prefer to be honest end up subordinating themselves to those in power in their own organizations and shaping their coverage accordingly. It also means that media criticism that isn't afraid to report on what is taking place is now essential to the maintenance of democracy."
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Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at The New Seminary website or at http://jayspeights.blogspot.com/ . His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Jay Speights.
In this column last week I said that we have lost faith in America's major institutions, including our government and politicians, banks, corporations, churches and schools. I also mentioned the media. I saved the media for last, because that's who I am going to focus on today.
Now I admit that I can sit there and watch the cable news shows for hours. Heck, I wake up to CNN and go to bed with CNN. Yes, I am a CNN addict. Yes, I do have a life, which includes my family, work, a loving dog, friend, golf and more golf and, thank God, even romance.
Why am I saying all of this, and how does it relate to the quote by Will Rogers? You see, Will Rogers lived in much simpler times. The major source of information was the newspaper. From what little I know about him, he is probably saying that he did not know much and perhaps even less as a result of relying on the newspapers of the day. Or he could have meant that if it wasn't in print, then it did not happen. You know that old question, "If a tree falls in the woods and there's no one around to hear, does it make a sound?"
Yes, it does make a sound! Many trees fall every day and night and the media do not report it. The venerated Ted Koppel said, "The media [are] no longer dealing with many issues that are important." The reason Ted said this is because the media report what they believe you want to hear. And maybe the polls and focus groups they use to make their decisions about what you want to hear are probably as wrong as the polls they used to predict an Obama victory over Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary earlier this year. (Hey, I am an Obama supporter and was very comfortable making this statement.)
I firmly believe that what we want is credible reporting and the truth. We don't need news based on what a certain demographic finds appealing. What we need are media that search for the truth and draw attention to the real problems of the day. I am sure that the problem with the levees in New Orleans could have been exposed and maybe prevented if the media wanted to get out there and uncover some worthy news instead of waiting for it to fall in their laps.
You know, we get our information from so many sources in this highly digitized world of ours. So it seems that someone or some news group ought to step up and start feeding us some worthy news based on good ole-fashioned journalistic techniques like searching for it and reporting it in an unfiltered manner.
I will end my discussion with you today and leave you to reflect on the following quote from the website Transparency:
"The news media has become a part of the power and economic system that it is supposed to report on. Instead of standing at a distance from events and trying to provide an accurate account, all too often it is just another inside player manipulating information for its own ends. This not only means that media companies have a conflict of interest but also that journalists who would prefer to be honest end up subordinating themselves to those in power in their own organizations and shaping their coverage accordingly. It also means that media criticism that isn't afraid to report on what is taking place is now essential to the maintenance of democracy."
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at The New Seminary website or at http://jayspeights.blogspot.com/ . His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Jay Speights.