The Media is off its meds

The media has ADD. The evidence is overwhelming. And the media is apparently off its meds. We are bombarded by "breaking news" and the focus is decided for us. If a viewer is interested in finding out the latest news about the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, that viewer will be frustrated if something has happened that day in the world of "pop". This strange world is not exclusively the realm of the rich and famous. Consider the Peterson murder trial in California. It is a sad reality that pregnant wives are being murdered every year and possibly every month. Why did the entire nation have to know about this one particular case?

If Paris Hilton, Michael Richards, or Mel Gibson do something stupid and offensive it is not national news. When our government loses billions of tax dollars that is news. There has been evidence of war profiteering in Iraq since the early days of the occupation of Baghdad. It was the responsibility of the media to follow the thread of that story when it was fresh. Almost four years have passed since the invasion and the Democratic Congress is beginning to investigate some of the Iraq irregularities. They are beginning their chase late in the race.

I was in high school when the Washington Post doggedly followed the Watergate story. The high crimes and misdemeanors that have been committed by the Bush administration make the Nixon administration look like mischievous schoolboys, and the media have left them alone, and at times have treated them with kid gloves.

9/11 scared the hell out of everyone (with the possible exception of the Vice President), but the media had the responsibility to keep their cool and their bearings. In 2005 approximately 60% of Americans believed that Iraq had something to do with 9/11. The Bush administration is to blame because they purposely and repeatedly used the terms 9/11 and Iraq in the same sentences and paragraphs. The media has to share that blame. They reported that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, but they did not do so in a manner that would dispel the myth. The media has abetted a concerted misinformation campaign since the election of 2000.

We can only hope that the Fourth Estate gets back on its meds and remembers the critically important role that they play in the funtion of our democracy. Until then beware of "breaking news".