The Media

The mainstream media should be ashamed of itself. Reporters often turn out to be commentators, with their agendas deftly woven through supposedly factual stories. And, just as telling, is what the media decides not to cover. Often, if it makes their guy or gal or group look bad, they simply won't cover it, or they will bury it on page 17. But they are happy to work up a front page frenzy of emotion and distrust of those they don't like.

Another issue is the perpetual doom and gloom outlook. Employment is up? Experts fear it won't last. Employment is down? The powers that be obviously don't care about you. It never seems to stop.

We're often told the world hates us, most often by the heavily left-leaning TV and newspaper media. If this dubious premise is true, what about the media's role in creating this hate ? Doesn't their endless nit-picking and desire to portray any aberration as the norm play a part? We're told we're thought of as "ugly Americans". But isn't it the left who create shows like Jerry Springer? This show is seen in dozens of countries all over the world, and it seems unlikely that it helps our reputation. Our movies often portray us as no better than a Springer episode. Of all the war movies made since the beginning of the Iraq war, Hollywood has not portrayed America favorably in any of them. No movies about heroism, bravery, kindness or compassion of our soldiers. Or that we are trying to build a democracy and leave, not take over and dominate. Instead, the movies focus on mistakes, terrible incidents, or take swipes at our own government or country. They are shown all over the world, and often showered with awards and accolades from the entertainment media.

NBC had their Green Week "news" reports about the purported benefits of certain light bulbs, without disclosing that they are owned by General Electric, which is making a fortune off the bulbs. And without mentioning the issue of the mercury inside these bulbs. This is not an atypical example of conflicting interests and the media, of selective emphasis and selective omission.

Commentary and opinion are not reporting. We will do our best to track and expose major examples of bias and distorted reporting from any source. Journalism schools often teach their students to be activists for justice or change. Instead, they should teach them to report the facts, put them in true context, and let their readers draw their own conclusions. While everyone has personal points of view, it is the obligation of the reporter to leave his own views out his reporting. The lack of this discipline is a huge problem with dangerous repercussions.

This site will bring to light the scope of the problem, the ramifications, and suggest ways to make things better.

A trustworthy media is the only type of media worth having.