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In relation to
Ray’s comments about right wing radio and commentary being myopically
one-sided, there was a useful interview with Greg Mitchell, editor of Editor
and Publisher on Friday’s NOW broadcast devoted to media: coverage of the war, and
a very good piece about the mergers of the already giant media conglomerates. There was good discussion about the
risks of embedded reporters over-identifying with their units (using more “we”
not “they”) and the adrenalin rush that is normal to all of us in new
situations overcoming objectivity.
Detour: If you did
not see this, there is a valuable example in the media giant piece about the dangers
of no competition in the radio news medium. As many of you know, Clear Channel Communications owns a lion’s
share of broadcast stations around the country and uses pre-taped music shows with
localized weather and traffic inserts, so that they sound like they are local even
though they are taped somewhere else.
Unfortunately I don’t remember the town and state, but recently, there
was a train derailment of toxic chemicals one night and the police tried to
call all the local radio stations to alert the public to stay indoors. There was no one on the air at all of
their 5 stations and no one even answered
the phone. They were
all owned by CCC and their corporate lean-employee format meant that the shows
are running from somewhere else and no one mans the booth. This became a Homeland Security issue of
concern since this resource to alert the public was not available to public law
enforcement. See http://www.pbs.org/now/
NOW with Bill Moyers, who though a “liberal” is an excellent journalist with
quality interview and commentary skills. I have often
commented here about the need to retain a balanced menu of news information,
accepting that some are more biased than others. It is becoming a little alarming at how quickly the
atmosphere has chilled regarding not just dissent on the subject of war, but
detours from the official party line. For instance,
in the Mitchell interview he mentioned that newspaper editors are receiving
complaints from readers that they do no want to see photos on the front page of
dead Iraqis (referenced Dallas Morning News) and they prefer to see photos of American
GI’s walking or assisting Iraqi children on the front pages. Given the
current polling that shows most Americans now support not just the war’s
invasion and regime change preemptively, but also aggressive expansion into the
Middle East, this can be a chilling reminder of how fast public opinion can be
swayed by the information that their own troops in grave danger are succeeding
in an expectedly tougher battle but there is victory at hand. It is also a profound statement about
human nature. I am not going
to attempt to compete with the gifted historians and others who have written prolifically
about this, but want to note that high peaks in public opinion are always
followed by steeper declines. My
sense tells me this is a superficial wave riding the human anxiety factor
multiplied by the need to avenge 9/11 and deeply entwined with 1) the urge to
feel superior, 2) have a reinvigorated sense of purpose and 3) happy just to be
doing something constructive even if it is war, not just normal patriotism. Unfortunately,
there will always be those who glory in blood and guts, and I’m not just
referring to military professionals who are glad to do what they were trained
to do (and some more than glad). In
our volunteer armed services, the trend over the decades since Nixon ended the
draft has been that more of those who choose to serve are of like minds, and
thus share the same compunctions about their duties and often the same
political worldviews, which makes some of us nervous now with this Pax
Americana ideology. The real
tragedy in my opinion are those who join up simply to get the educational
benefits and those Reservists/Guards who are banking their retirement, and just
want to punch the clock and go home, but never make it. Americans in
particular must keep an eye on the horizon, realizing that winning the military
war is just the beginning. - KWC REH
wrote: Of course it's agitprop. With
so little serious left wing or even middle |
