In the June 16/09 edition of the Globe&Mail, columnist John Ibbitson poses this question in the headline over this America column: How does U.S. democracy survive without its newspapers? The column was ostensibly decrying the fact the industry is in shambles and an economic freefall.
Unfortunately, the question should really be: How can the U.S. democracy survive in spite of its newspapers? You can add other mainstream media to the equation.
What the mainstreamers are avoiding in analyzing the reasons for their own demise is pretty basic stuff. I would like to offer the following:
The general news audience out there among the great unwashed masses have lost faith in the mainstream media. They recognize that the mainstreamers have sold their souls to special interest groups, the political manipulators, the socialist lobbyists and the entertainment industry.
Consider how the mainstream media (MSM) jumped on the Global Warming scam which they are trying to re-brand as Climate Change in order to avoid the kind of scrutiny it should have received from the media, but did not get, right from the beginning.
When did the MSM ever demand peer reviewed material before feeding the public their Doomsday scenarios? When did the MSM ever give equal space or time to those of a different persuasion? And when did the MSM ever call on any of the groups to offer clear firm proof that the polar bears were dying in huge numbers, that engineered foods (dubbed Frankenfoods by the eco-crazies and their media court jesters) would be the death knell for mankind? Or how about New York City being swallowed up in a flood or your grandchildren being fried in their playgrounds by the summer sun?
Now, on to politics. We need only look back to the disgusting MSM performance in ensuring Barack Hussein Obama became president. What media outlet has dug into the facts of whether he qualifies as a natural born American to hold office? None.
Consider too the abysmal coverage of Sarah Palin, whom the American media are still trying to crush. Many people know now that they were scammed, misled and lied to by the MSM at every turn.
No Mr. Ibbitson, while you and your fellow scribes might view the general population as being stupid, you are dead wrong. They are demonstrating how smart they are in rejecting your propaganda.
I mentioned the MSM have also sold out to the entertainment industry. Figure this one out. Why would so many thousands of photos be published and stories written on the likes of Lindsay Lohan, a lush and possibly a thief or Madonna? Do you remember the sexual escapades she was promoting 10 or so years ago? Now she wants recognition as the saviour of African children. Give me a break.
And who really is interested in more nonsense about Brad Pitt, Octomom, Britney Spears, or God forbid, Paris Hilton? I suppose there is a market of sorts for this slop, especially among the I-don’t-have-a-life-crowd who can’t tell the difference between manufactured pap and news anyway. But many subscribers and audiences are simply disappearing.
And Mr. Ibbitson, I must tell you, much to your surprise and dismay I am sure, that your news-filters are clogged with junk. We simply don’t trust you to present both sides of the issues. Remember the good old days when we strove for balance? That is no longer in the MSM vocabulary. Remember when we our news pages were not for sale? Do you remember when reporters were forbidden to express opinions in their news pieces or slant them one way or another?
Whatever happened to those principles of journalism that led to trust being fostered in your readers in the first place? Whatever happened to the old saying: “If you read in the newspaper, it must be true?” So why does the public hold journalists in such low esteem? I think they rank somewhere below politicians and lawyers. Perhaps it has something to do with content.
The Most recent MSM bandwagon has involved the so-called recession. This will go down in history as the first time the media world-wide frightened people into worsening what was a situation that could be handled. I know here in Canada, the media hype around the economy was simply relentless. Even now most outlets can’t report the upswings in housing and other sectors without adding “but it is still grim out there,” or words to that effect.
One last point. While many MSM outlets are scrambling to engage their listeners, viewers and readers through letters, e-mails, telephone calls, video clips and such the responses that are actually aired tend to be those with which the particular outlet agrees. Again, Mr. Ibbitson, people are not stupid. Slow to catch on, perhaps, but not stupid.
You close your column this week with this statement: “In the meantime, this newspaper (the Globe&Mail) is not going anywhere.”
Really? I wouldn’t count on it.
