1st Amendment Drive Around by Imus

Here comes the fun, Imus is to sue CBS, according to his lawyer, Martin Garbus they are looking at the suit. Imus reportedly had a contract requiring he be warned before firing in a letter; accordingly, Imus was not so notified. However, this isn't just a battle for contracts and suits; it has become iconic, is that dangerous?

It's easy to see the issues in this case, we believe, but once again, we find that they aren't as clear as we thought, and the work of a media who feeds us into frenzy; and we buy it. America in particular, buys into the lines put forth in the media, and the world doesn't escape the frenzy, either, which leads us to question the importance of this? While we want to say, "Who cares?" What we have to realize is that apparently, people do care; across the globe, Imus remains in the news.

What this says about America and the world may not be the proclamation we'd like to hear. In the midst of serious issues, we have elevated a matter of words to a prominent plateau. As one prominent speaker put it, "who cares what Imus says?" To which the response was, "he should never have said what he did." With that as a given doesn't the perpetuation of the argument, only extend the damage done?

Do we expect that people can be defamed and it not have repercussions? When does the thirst for news that we have generated, become invasive and in itself, defaming? At some point in the process, the news, the media, and the involved parties are entitled to a little privacy; but the truth is, they cannot achieve it. Where are we as consumers pushing our media?

Glorious day that we live in, where communication is so prevalent, the very real danger of the line being crossed from deserving of attention news, and auguring issues for acidity, is here; but we don't act as if we understand that. What point about privacy will finally wake us up to the power foisted against us, which is, the power of the media to influence our lives.

What can you do what should we do, and how necessary is it for us to do anything at all? If we, who comprise the majority of the people in this situation, do not speak against the obvious bias thrown upon us, if we don't examine the issue as having impact that is real, then we have buried our heads in the sand; and we will reap what that action brings on.