THE POWER OF JOURNALISM

 Journalism, which has been so powerful and so important in the growth of our country, is now killing itself.  The outlets of Journalism are fading away; newspapers are dying, news magazines are dying, TV station's news departments are dying,  news radio is dying, etc.

Journalism involves the collection of relative information about someone, some thing or some incident; the editing of that information and the presenting of it for use by some form of media.  It always was a great and honored profession.  Many organizations provide awards for journalism including the coveted Pulitzer Prize.  

The vigorous collection of the information and the unbiased editing of it are a real challenge and, rightfully, the basis for awards.  When either of these two jobs fail to produce honestly, the whole community of journalists and the media fails; not only fails but falls.  

The most recent egregious award (2018) went to the NY Times and the Washington Post for their reporting of "Russiagate".  Both esteemed members of the news media thought they found the influence of Russia in our Presidential election and in the actions of the President and his advisors.  

Now we find that so intent were they to bias their readers against President Donald Trump that they failed to be vigorous in their collection of information.  It was easy to accept what they heard because it fit their personal bias against Mr. Trump.  The whole episode they conjured was a giant sham, probably instigated by the Democratic National Committee.  The weight of this reporting hung over the head of the President throughout his tenure in office.  Is it any wonder that the world is losing it's respect for the media.  Maybe these media outlets got what they wanted in spite of  their errors -  as Trump lost his bid for reelection. 

While we're on this subject, here is a reprint (slightly edited) of an entry I made four years ago.  The effects of the media's biased reporting can have effects for many, many years.

4/29/2019

APRIL 29

On this date in 1992, the jury acquitted the four police officers in Los Angeles who had been charged with assault and the use of excessive force in the 1991 traffic arrest of a black man named Rodney King who originally failed to stop his car when requested and evaded their attempts to stop him.  A person who lived nearby the scene filmed what happened and sent the film to an LA TV station.  In today's parlance, it went viral.  The country was aghast!

Within hours of the verdict, riots broke out in East Los Angeles and in other cities across the country.  In LA, rioting and destruction lasted six days.  It resulted in 63 deaths, over 2,000 injuries, more than 7,000 fires, and damage to over 3,000 businesses; all at a cost of more than a billion dollars to the city and businesses. 

Interestingly, the jury who acquitted the officers saw parts of the tape that had been deleted from the over-TV version and never shown to the public.  Someone's attempt at journalism, showed only the parts of the video that would incite their audience.  

This case made America sensitive to future charges of police brutality - especially with regards to the black community.  It's effects are still being felt.