Why Americans Hate the Media

The Atlantic Monthly Archives ^ | February, 1996 | James Fallows

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Do you think Jennings and Wallace remembered that (well deserved) slap in the face?"

They should be reminded daily of it.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"The message is: We don't respect what we're doing. Why should anyone else?"

In a nut shell.

Thanks for the response;

Luis

[Luis Gonzalez]

Thanks for the link.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"These low life vermin would trade 30 seconds of footage for the lives of an entire platoon of brave American soldiers who were in the very process of saving these pieces of shit's right to a free press."

BINGO!

[TwoSue]

What if a reporter was at the scene of one of Wallace's or Jennings' loved ones about to get hit by a car? Should the reporter be a reporter or step in to save Wallace's or Jennings' loved one? What would Wallace or Jennings want them to do?

[SEA]

That's one of those EXTREMELY thin books:
"Ethics in Journalism"
Like "Honest Things Bill Clinton Has Said"
or "The Annotated Biographies of Every Clear-Thinking Liberal"

[fnord]

I remember this show ... thanks for the transcript Luis

[jmp702]

What would Wallace or Jennings want them to do?

Make sure the video was rolling.

I'm being flippant, but one never knows.

[Polybius]

I remember seeing that episode.

As a military officer myself, if some journalists had sacrificed American lives to get a story and if I had to decide whether to risk the lives of American troops to save their worthless lives, I would think back to what Admiral Horatio Nelson did at the Battle of Copenhagen.

At that battle, when Nelson's commanding officer ordered him by signal flag to break off his attack of the enemy, Nelson put his telescope to his blind eye and said, "I do not see the signal." My response would be, "I do not see the journalists."

[Yellow Rose of Texas]

"sigh", and most would do it now I suspect, keep quiet and let their own countrymen die for the 30 second story.

[Big Dan]

That reminds me of an incident during Bob Dole's presidential campaign, when he was up on a stage and was moving forward towards the crowd to shake some hands. The railing he was leaning against broke away and Dole fell forward into the crowd and on the ground.

What really toasted me about that was that some of the press people, who were right there and watched him fall, made no effort to try to catch him.

Bob Dole was a man who had lost use of one of his arms during his military service, and who was not accorded the simplest human courtesy by the media of trying to catch him instead of taking their d*mnable photos. It really made me sick to see that episode, and helped to convince me that the media cared little for duty, honor, or even country, but only ran towards their next scoop or exclusive photo op.

Imagine you were a photograper and you saw a journalist about to fall off a cliff. You could either save his life, or take the picture.

My question is, what shutter speed would you use?

[Ban Draoi]

If the media insist on acting up in Afganistan like they did in Vietnam, perhaps the sight of a few burly Marines or Rangers fingering their gutting knives might give the media idiots pause.

[jwh_Denver]

The biggest lie is that they call it "news" while I would call it commentary, fluff, and bosheet.