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Our Enemies – Without and Within by Patti Bankson (8/03/04)

The Land of the Free - A Conservative Politics Web Site

There has been almost endless debate as to whether members of the media are liberal, or not. I think that’s the wrong question. Here are at least two of what I think are “right” questions. One: are they qualified to report the news even when they seem incapable of the truth? Another: how long will we continue to participate with them in the ridiculous pretense that what we read in the average paper (excluding this one, of course) and hear on network TV is the truth, not fiction or fantasy.

A report by definition is a formal or official presentation of facts, or of the record of something. When I’m looking for fiction or fantasy, I go to a movie or read a book. The last place I expect to find them is in the news, and rightly so. Unfortunately, what’s tossed at us wearing the “news” label is, more often than not, a distortion of the facts, and/or simply lies. Case in point: the reports on the 9/11 Commission’s conclusions.

A New York Times headline read: “Panel finds no Qaeda-Iraq tie.” You would have seen the same headline in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and the (thought to be conservative) Wall Street Journal. Now, look at what a member of the 9/11 Commission, former Illinois Governor James Thompson, had to say about those headlines: “the headlines are grossly misleading.” He reiterated that the Commission cited numerous “ties” between Saddam and al Qaeda, a fact many didn’t even bother to include in their reports!

Sure, we aren’t forced to read what the papers print, nor listen to what comes over our airwaves, but in my opinion, that’s a cowardly approach. None of them worry about being held accountable, because they know few will bother to stand up to say, “Enough!” The way I see it, if journalists can’t report the real news (the truth), then they should put down their pencils, turn off their microphones and get jobs doing something where they can’t continue to contaminate the minds of those readers / listeners / viewers who (because they don’t bother to educate themselves independently) actually believe them.

Does the First Amendment give them the right to say what they want? Although there are some limitations on free speech, yes, it does. I just wish those who have the public ear took the responsibilities of citizenship as seriously as they take the privileges for granted. I’d like to see those who aren’t journalists do the same. Summing up: this is the modern version of The Pied Piper. The media is piping a false, but apparently beguiling tune while the dumb and blind “rats” (i.e. the unquestioning citizens) skip merrily along behind, allowing themselves to be led right over the cliff to their death and destruction!

Patti Bankson invites your comments at pbankson@intergate.com