Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Death of Objective Journalism

I'm starting this Tuesday with a little rant.

It started with a headline that made me choke on my coffee.

ABC TURNS PROGRAMMING OVER TO OBAMA; NEWS TO BE ANCHORED FROM INSIDE WHITE HOUSE

I think it's safe to say that objective journalism has taken a turn off the road and into a ditch.

When a government, any government can employ and control the content of a public media outlet, that media outlet officially becomes an unreliable source of information.

Why? Because now you are only hearing one side of the story. It doesn't matter if there is a claim of a 'fair debate'. When you're in the lions den the opposing message can be distorted and manipulated.

Such is the case with the decision of ABC news to televise the promotion of the proposed health care policy of the Obama administration from the White House.

While the televised program has not been aired yet, it may seem that I'm not giving ABC a fair shake, but perception is everything.

Just the fact that ABC news is being hosted by the White House to address this administrations side of the story gives the perception that ABC is favoring this policy.

ABC News' objectivity is out the window.

It's been long standing knowledge that the news media (with a few exceptions) has shown itself to be in favor of and promoting of the policies of the present administration without allowing the opposing voice to be heard clearly. We saw this favorablity during the Presidential campaign.

"Straw-man" journalism is the name of the game in today's news.

I guess what erks me the most is that most individuals will believe anything put in front of them without doing the research. So pictures of a major public news outlet sending out a promo from the White House with a message that 'whatever we're promoting is all good to go', doesn't sound like objective journalism to me.

We as Americans like to think of our freedoms as God given. Freedom of thought, speech, the pursuit of happiness, of religion.

Today we see those precepts being challenged right under our noses and the protesting silence is deafening.

In Connecticut, the State government there is calling our Catholic Church lobbyist.

Pro-life advocates are being called terrorist.

News journalist are calling "Obama is sort of God".

... and the silence is deafening.

At times I feel like our nation is sort of like that frog in the pot of boiling water analogy.

Well folks, the heat is being turned up and .... the silence is deafening.

Here's the article. Try not to drink anything hot until you've finished reading.

ABC TURNS PROGRAMMING OVER TO OBAMA; NEWS TO BE ANCHORED FROM INSIDE WHITE HOUSE

On the night of June 24, the media and government become one, when ABC turns its programming over to President Obama and White House officials to push government run health care -- a move that has ignited an ethical firestorm! Highlights on the agenda: ABCNEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver WORLD NEWS from the Blue Room of the White House. The network plans a primetime special -- 'Prescription for America' -- originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate.
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