As I am sipping a cup of reheated coffee this morning, I am thinking about the notion of a free and independent press. A friend of mine posted excerpts from a presentation by Dan Rather yesterday where he talked about the vital role of the press and, among other things, said a free and independent press is “the red beating heart of freedom and democracy.”
It is no secret that I am not a big fan of FOX and believe it is furthest possible representation of their retired motto- Fair and Balanced - as you could get. I used to suppress the urge to vomit every time I heard or read it. If I try to be objective, not an easy path for an avowed progressive like myself, I am willing to concede that news, like any entertainment, should offer a full spectrum of options. Nobody wants to only watch sci fi movies just as no thinking person (well, most, anyway) want a single viewpoint on their information spectrum. We need to be challenged on a regular basis to stay mentally engaged. I should add that news should be factual even if representing a specific point on the political spectrum, not a misrepresentation of reality merely to score position points.
What troubles me in the current environment is the incestuous relationship that has developed between the right-wing media, specifically FOX, and the current administration. I read that there are 21 people who have worked both in the administration and FOX. Cheeto has hired a dozen former FOX employees to work in key positions in his administration. I should add that I am just as concerned about this pollution of the swamp water as I am about the 26 executives from Goldman Sachs who are or were in the current administration or other key government positions. It is hard to believe that their lineage doesn’t influence government policy on behalf of the ‘rich and famous.’ I would be hard pressed to imagine a former GS executive advocating an increase in the food stamp program.
If you are concerned about corruption in the government, especially in an administration that has systematically disemboweled the Inspector General independent oversight functions across the board, we ought to be concerned about the dilution of a free and independent press. To quote Hugo Black, “Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.” I frequently hear that CNN and MSNBC are hardly ‘fiercely independent” either. I’m sure that is probably true, but when has Cheeto called Rachel Maddow at night on a regular basis to get her take on violence in the street or Post Office reform? I am sure Wolf Blitzer’s and Anderson Cooper’s phones are not ringing off the hook from the White House to get their take on events. I wonder how many former employees of MSNBC occupy key positions in the administration. I also wonder how many hours every morning Cheeto spends watching CNN or calling-in to their morning shows?
The Project on Excellence in Journalism several years back reported that almost 70% (68%) of the news from FOX contained personal opinions vs 27% from MSNBC and 4% from CNN. Let’s face it, FOX pushes misinformation every day because their viewers lap it up like a bulldog eating filet mignon. If their right-wing viewers demanded a higher standard FOX would offer it. It is a business, you know. Unfortunately, when you only get your news from one source, you have no arbiter of accuracy or a comparison of content. I guess, among a variety of reasons, there is a demand for fact checkers, but I’m not sure the avowed FOX viewer avails himself of this option very often.
On that note I am throwing a crumpet in the toaster over to go with my next cup of joe.