Search

This article presents the author's opinion on the role and responsibility of the media as it relates to matters of politics and democracy. He feels the media did not display the requisite level of scepticism when presented with the claims by the administration of George W. Bush in regards to Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. He also denounces the trend to reporting a story without fact-checking, then allowing the other side to refute it. Doing so only give the appearance of objectivity because the journalist has allowed himself to be manipulated by lies.

This article comments on the U.S. government's case against Judy Miller of the New York Times and Matt Cooper of Time as of April 2005. The author illustrates what it feels like in the matter of the government versus the press. The nation's ascendant conservative elements won their power fair and square. Now they are aggressively advancing their political agenda, and, according to the author, that is fair too. That is the way the game is played. The author notes that what troubles him is the part of their playbook that advocates open season on journalists. The author points out that he and other U.S. journalists bear a lot of responsibility for this sorry state. They have seen some spectacular ethical lapses, which further erode media credibility. They have arrogance issues. And the author thinks it is essentially true that they are out of sync with Middle America's values and mores. The author admits that he does not know the answer, but he does not think it is a federal shield law. According to him, journalists are not priests, and there are times when they should comply with prosecution request. In conclusion, the author maintains that courage is something every working journalist needs, especially today.