Thursday, August 5, 2010

Where have all the journalists gone?

Remember "All the President's Men?" It was a pretty good movie. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as (Bob) Woodward and (Carl) Bernstein...the Watergate Hotel...Jason Robards as Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee. I think he even won an Oscar for that role. But it's just a movie, right? I don't think so.

The Watergate story was much, much more. The movie might have taken certain liberties, as Hollywood does in all ventures...you know, "any rebroadcast, retransmission, or account without the expressed written consent of Major League..." oops, wrong disclaimer...but you get my drift. Sure, it WAS Hollywood...but would it be different today?

Over the last 20-30 years, there have been investigations-a-plenty. From Watergate to Irangate, even "government induced" investigations like Abscam or "pseudo-frivolous" ones like Monicagate; they were all part of the recent past and considered attempts, although many quite lame, to hold our government officials accountable. But today? It's almost like the media is running scared...or worse yet, complicit...

I understand the immediate response is, "hey, we've got to (now) compete with 24 hour news channels...and internet services...and bloggers." Hold it, right there, Jack. Investigations, TRUE investigations, are probably the ONLY thing that CAN get you back in the game. That is, bring newspapers back from the gutter of tabloid journalism to what it once was--a prideful profession of reporting and documentation and mostly, communication and TRUST with readers.

But still, you (media) guys continue to sit on your hands...afraid of being labeled racist, elitist, or sycophantic. WE NEED YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER. Oh sure, you can SAY you're simply reporting, maintaining your objective slant (i.e. that congress, legislature, civil rights groups, et al, do the actual investigating)...but that's a copp-out (heh-heh, copp out, get it?)...

I see you recently reported that the stimulus bill contained mountains of pork. Yes, we know. It was reported back when the bill was "rammed" through. This time, you are trying to show your "complete" objectivity, by "reporting" that the Republicreeps are attempting to re-make it an issue. Ah-ha-ha, hundreds of thousands of dollars on monkeys using drugs, millions more for smoking cessation activities, tens of millions for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction (isn't that one of the reasons for all the casinos)...big deal, right? Come on...dig deeper!!!

What about the "shovel ready" projects!?!? I mean, the main four lane road which intersects the neighborhood where I reside, has been paved THREE TIMES in the last several years...AND THEY'RE NOW DOING IT AGAIN. Plus, there are two "bicycle" bridges spanning our nearby freeway...both are BEING REPLACED (they did NOT need replacing)...and these jobs are ALL being completed using the Union Wage Rule provision from the Davis-Bacon act, thus driving the price of all these jobs through the proverbial roof...

...THIS, THIS RIGHT HERE, is what real journalists are supposed to investigate. So, where are these journalists? Cowering in fear? Afraid of their own shadows? Attempting to maintain their objectivity? Pshaw!! I think they're all working for (or hope to work for) the government...but that's another story...which needs INVESTIGATION!!!!

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