Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

From the Newsroom Drama to the Drama of Journalism

One of my favorite TV shows is Newsroom on HBO, probably because it is somewhat close to writing and reading---like what we do here in WdC. This dramatic series, in its essence, is a political one, but it also touches the ideals of journalism.

Journalism is the flag bearer of democracy and upholder of the justice system since it is, or rather, was believed to be honest, fair, and brave in gathering, reporting, and interpreting events and information of the current times. No matter how fair and just the Atlantis Cable News is made to reflect the tenets of journalism in the show, my guess is, TV reporting has been undermining the integrity of journalism. If not so, how Fox News or MSNBC still could be alive and thriving, and even leading the news media?

Reporting and interpreting the news does have its ethics code, even if it is voluntarily embraced by the newsrooms of TV channels and newspapers.
http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

Only in autocratic governments can the news be controlled, but what happens when the owners of TV and newspaper companies are autocratic and self-serving also? My fear is, this is what is now happening at the time here or probably in most free democracies of the world, as the candid reporters are given the cold shoulder, or worse, put in jail.

I guess I am reflecting here a general distrust of the news media, but I read and hear these types of comments all the time. “I don’t listen to news” “They all lie!” “News media is taking sides, and not my side,” etc., etc.

One of my sons does not believe in the US’s news. He only reads the Guardian from UK, but then, I pointed out to him that he is limiting himself. As for me, I read and listen to all sides, and from time to time, consult world newspapers. Still, I don’t think I have the unadorned facts as they occur.

What happened to those times with Walter Cronkite, "And that's the way it is"?

Nowadays, we are unaware of “the way it is.” Moreover, we all get caught up in the flavor of the week, the most titillating tabloid-like news, wrongly titled public or human interest stories, latest murders, insider trading, or sexual or financial misconduct by celebrities and government employees.

What happened to “seek the truth and report it”?

What happened is, “seek the truth” became "do not report it exactly, but adjust it to favor the owners’ or a certain news company’s ideals and ways of looking at things," and worse yet, “lie about it” or “cover it up with the toothsome, seductive, ravishing, distasteful flavor-of-the-day news.”

I think our freedom-of-speech amendment in the constitution is being taken for a ride, and it is impaired, stained and lead toward a total wreck. Just like the crimes committed in the name of God.