Dave Barry, he of legendary wit, once wrote about evolution of government, beginning with primates’ advantage of opposable thumbs that gave them the wherewithal to become the predominant species.
Advancing to inside the Beltway, he alledged interest in what occurs there is limited to those who occupy the seats of power and “four New York Times reporters.”
Barry uses hyperbole with a virtuoso’s skill, but when he wrote about most Americans not being taken by every occurrence in the capital city, his analysis shifted from humor to reality — because of …
In today’s world a rumor coming from an assistant to the assistant secretary in charge of restroom protocol is viewed as though it were gospel etched in stone.
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, CNN’s Anderson Cooper and any number of FOX Trumpsters hang on every word and breathlessly report as though the Tribulation were seconds away.
Perhaps the foremost piece of faultless journalistic ever was Bob Woodward’s and Carl Bernstein’s detailed reporting of the Watergate scandal, and subsequent unseating of President Nixon, an outcome of fact and not because of him being a target of jaundiced reporters.
The difference between then and now is that Woodward and Bernstein had a well-placed and reliable inside source — Deep Throat, their code name, and as time revealed Mark Felt, whose roots ran deep in the FBI. They checked, rechecked and triple-checked through several sources sensitive information, before putting it on view for the public in the Washington Post.
So, where are we going?
Trump is far from our favorite president during our nearly 74 years of arising each morning. We think he has made some clumsy and stupid mistakes his short time as president.
However, he is president, and at the very least we should accord the office the respect it deserves.
Not every misstep should be met with partisan rails about impeachment. Some things — including Comey’s firing — seem more the fodder of that distressful wasteland, reality TV, which may be an indictment in of itself.
Meanwhile, the major news channels, as well as a good many newspapers have (had) reputations for fairness and honesty reporters and their editors seem intent on destroying by feasting on sensationalism.
It is well past time for those whose role in society is to keep all others informed to shed their arrogance and divorce themselves from being a part of the story. They should keep themselves above the fray, avoid leading questions and demonstrative expressions.
What the public wants — at least it should if it hasn’t become too jaded — are reports based on facts and figures, well-researched and verified, and presented in a concise manner free of editorial comment or innuendo.
That’s asking only what should occur in a country that has the advantage of a free press, one that forfeits the public’s trust if it doesn’t keep on the outside looking in.
— Bob Johnson
