When I was in second grade, the teacher requested we go around the room and tell what our parents did for a living. I came out of the womb cynical and found it an odd request. But, obliged the teacher as my turn arrived.
I stood up and announced, “my dad is a doctor”.
The teacher leaned in, oddly impressed as I learned people can get over things like that and said, “ohhhh, what kind of doctor?”
“A chiropractor”, I replied.
She almost smirked and said, “Honey, that’s not a real doctor.”
I cried. I was embarrassed, I felt lied to by somebody and the reality I knew was shook by her words. And, then after going home and informing my father on what she had said, he went to the school the next day and had a few choice words for the teacher. Yes … there’s a genetic reason I am the way I am.
How is that story relevant to the current press and the ever growing arguments about the “fake” versus “real” news? Because when one feels their livelihood is being attacked, they often attack back. But, in this case, it isn’t my dad telling off my second grade teacher. It’s the climate of the entire country and the direction of the political landscape lying in the wake of this war of words. And, we really can’t lose sight of that.
What came first, the chicken or the fake news?
Like all questions, the answers are never as simple as they seem. So many factors played into the erosion of the press. The emergence of stations like CNN and Fox changed how people viewed the news. They ceased to look to the “news” to be informed, they looked instead to be affirmed. And, this became popular, a huge money-maker with sponsors and backers that fed into it. They sat at “news” desks and had the polished hair and appearance of journalists, but they weren’t. They were giving the information to the public in the way they wanted to hear it, slanting it all to their opinion. A discerning eye or an open mind would clearly know there was a difference, but as time went by, the lines blurred. And, opinion became fact.
The vast majority of the media could not stand candidate or President Trump. I don’t know how that fact could ever be argued. The bias was abundantly clear on every station, newspaper and magazine. No pictures of his wife all over People magazine as we had seen of past First Ladies, his kids attacked daily, when in the past there seemed to be a silent code that kids were off limits. His every word was scrutinized and I only fully noticed how bad it was during the early Coronavirus updates where the White House Press Corp attacked relentlessly.
The resounding explanation is that he attacked them by calling them fake. Just as my father went to tell off the teacher, I actually do understand the bristling effect of having your profession attacked and how that can lead people to lash back out. But, what responsibility do journalists have in this day and age to find a way to put their personal feelings aside and try to report the news as clearly, plainly and without bias as possible? Rough question … because that doesn’t sell, does it? We have grown almost dependent, as a country, on the controversy of it all and not as concerned with being truly informed.
They give us, what we want. But, many of us crave for more. I sure hope we do.
Enter President Joe Biden. Holy cow, anyone that watched the treatment of Trump or his Press Secretaries … plural … there were many … some hid in bushes from the press in fear .. can very plainly see the man is not treated the same way. Nor, is Little Orphan Annie Circle Back. The questions are softballs, except for the sole foil Doocy from Fox who essentially gets smirked at and dismissed. And, as Americans watch this, the same people that liked Trump and watched the daily attacks on him, it deepens the mistrust of the media. And, that is a dangerous thing, isn’t it? The excuse of “well, we like him better and he is nicer to us” just actually completely confirms that the coverage was based on personal opinions, politics, beliefs. That’s dangerous, right? Because if people don’t trust the media, they don’t trust their leadership … where do they turn? It’s the innate nature of humans to follow and when the ones that should be leading the charge to truth don’t … they will find something or someone else to follow. And, that’s dangerous. That’s not a question, it’s a fact. It’s dangerous.
I am not encouraging an unwarranted attack on President Joe Biden. But, what I am pleading for is equitable treatment and the return to asking the hard questions that were asked in the past to not only Trump, but other presidents. Why didn’t you immediately visit Texas? (Bush was slammed for the delayed visit to New Orleans). What is Hunter’s involvement with the Chinese and was he influence peddling? (Trump’s children were turned inside out) Can you explain how the “cages” in Texas are now called Detainment Centers? (Trump was demonized for this) Question his cognitive abilities. The man is quite old, has had health issues and currently holds the nuclear codes. These are worthwhile questions!
The softballs need to stop. It continues to erode the fragile trust of the people. It’s dangerous. And, the policing has to start from within the journalistic community. I don’t care if he is “nicer” to you. Your feelings shouldn’t and don’t matter. The truth does.
Over the years, my father saw other chiropractors do things he did not agree with and he spoke up to it. It softened him to the stance of some that didn’t entirely get or trust his profession. Journalists need to start doing the same. Something got very, very off track. Simply blaming Trump for calling you fake is a juvenile excuse. Reporting the “news” without bias is boring, the pushback will be extreme from the top to continue to stir the pot. A stirred pot sells. And, if that can’t be accomplished, then identify as opinion-based news.
In a world where everyone is being forced to take a hard look at themselves, how we got here, where we go from here … perhaps journalists take a long, deep breathe and reflect on the role they played in taking down one President and propping up another. Because if you played a part in it, you are a hybrid of activist and journalist. And, owning that is a start.
It doesn’t matter who came first. That’s the answer to the riddle. Fix it. The country is tuned in and counting on you.
Pretty Political 