A letter to two newsmen

Dear Mr Bradlee and Mr. Hewitt

One of the things I love about being in the States is CSpan. However, last night a program with Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post and Don Hewitt of 60 Minutes at the Kennedy School of Government left me infuriated. They were often patronizing and often didn't directly answer the questions. There belief that the US media is doing a good job was more than I could stand to leave alone. Today I wrote them the following letter:

After watching you on CSpan I was terribly disappointed in many of your responses.

The media (print and broadcast have failed us) regardless by not more aggressively presenting both sides of the story. And the remark that everyone knows that Iraq is a catastrophic failure doesn’t really wash when you look at the pundits and the interviewers nodding their heads and accepting what the officials are saying instead of constantly trying to expose the lies.

There is a lot of difference between a single article or mention then the pounding and repetition given to the Swift Boat people, OJ, Peterson or Dean’s scream.

For example: There was a news story in the Boston Globe about Christmas presents being given to 2600 homeless children in the city. 2600 HOMELESS CHILDREN. Why isn’t that a daily article because that is a scandal.

For example: When anyone died for lack of health insurance, why isn’t that featured? It should be pounded the same way the fluff OJ-Peterson stories are.

For example: when Sen. Warner said to Tim Russett Dec. 29th that the Iraqis seem to lack the will to fight there were many possible follow up questions. Why? Why are we fighting for something they aren’t willing to fight
for? That was a major statement among his fluff on how the war wasn’t really as bad as it seemed. Tim ignored the statement.

For example when Rumsfeld talks about the horror of public beheadings, why not a story on the difference between personal murder on television (individual) and impersonal murder (night after night of bombings)?

For example: We had body counts in Vietnam, Why can’t we get them in Iraq? Why aren’t we asking why the Army isn’t counting?

For example: Why aren’t we doing more on the torture stories.

For example: Why not some features on bias in newscasting? Why use the word insurgent vs. freedom fighter vs. terrorist. Liberator vs. occupier.

For example: Why did CNN use all the clever graphics and music during the war making war entertainment not news? How about a story on how war is presented to the public?

For example: Why hasn’t been a story done on Catholic charities being told they would lose funding if they did too much for the people of Haiti? Has anyone talked to aid workers on what is happening on the ground regularly? Any aid worker in Latin America during Reagan knew who the CIA agents and they also know that reporters often sit in the bar waiting for stories to come to then. When they are in the field they can report daily movements of helicopters across borders. I don’t see that covered in the same depth as it should have been.

For example: When Bush talks about Iraq invading their neighbors why hasn’t anyone said we invaded our neighbor Grenada?
For example: Why isn’t Lay and others of his ilk being hounded with daily stories? Why hasn’t the suffering of those he hurt been featured regularly? Why haven’t there been more calls for his and others to be tried? Yes I know some steps have been taken, but the import of the corporate crime receives far less attention than the murders.

For example: What are you doing to report both sides of the Social Security issues?

For example: The press does stories on how to handle money when people make $50,000. How many articles have been done on how to live on $10,000 or less?

Why aren’t we asking hard questions:

Every story should have both sides shown.

BBC has an excellent interviewer Tim Sebastian. When someone says something that is a lie, he calls them on it. Why can’t the American press do that? I would also love to see Jeff McMullen of Australia added to the regular staff of 60 Minutes, but if he did not want to come back to the program I would understand.

Now admittedly I am better read than most people. On a daily basis I scan or speed read the following: FT, IHT, Liberation, Le Figaro, Le Monde, The Guardian, the Observer, Tribune de Geneve, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Dawn, Sydney Herald, Lebanon Star and Haaretz. Weekly I look at the Economist. I sometimes look at the German papers but my German is weak.

Although I disagree with columnists like Jeff Jacoby, George Wills, etc. their conservative opinions should be continued along with liberal writers on the op-ed pages.

The press has a long way to go to protect the US. Although you need to make money to stay in business, you also have a greater responsibility as citizens to protect this country.

Best wishes,
Donna-Lane NELSON
http://www.wisewordsonwriting.com/
Geneva Switzerland