2008:The Year Journalism Died

I don't know exactly when it started, some say during the height of Vietnam, some say during the eight years of the Bush Administration. Regardless of what time period journalism, and the media has seen better days. A recent poll suggests 45% of Americans believe the media is biased and that they distort the news. One has to ask the question: Is it all worth losing the trust of the majority in the name of agenda and a minority audience?

It's pretty safe to say the Left dominates media and internet sites such as blogs, newspapers, and overall "news". But recent polls show the majority of Americans rank Fox News as the most fair and balanced, MSNBC, and NBC rank at the bottom; no surprise there. Both channels have been accused of liberal bias. Not only from of Republican viewers but from Democrats as well. It all started in this year's Democratic Primary race. The two news channels were accused of being "in the tank" for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Evidence of that came from comments by Chris Matthews saying: "I get a feeling up my leg when I hear him speak" or when Matthews stated if no one cried during an Obama speech their un-American. Matthews of course is the outspoken host of Hardball on MSNBC. He's known for putting his foot in his mouth when it comes to politics. You might recall he said Hillary Clinton wouldn't be where she is today had Bill Clinton not cheated on her. But Matthews aside many supporters of Hillary Clinton complained about the one sided reporting and the calls for her to drop out of the race before it was over by the voices on NBC and MSNBC. The late Tim Russert was under the gun over accusations that he piled on Clinton during the debates. Some people think the moderators on NBC piled on Clinton while taking it easy with Obama.

But it's beyond the news channels. The LA Times, New York Times, and Washington Post all share in the accusations of media bias; whether it's during the primary season or the general election. How ironic that the New York Times is accused of this when they endorsed John McCain and Hillary Clinton during the primaries. So it made for an even bigger story when the Times reported a false and baseless story about John McCain and his relationship with a female lobbyist. You know I wonder what it's worth, you know putting your integrity and reputation on the line for the sake of agenda and preference. I mean, that's all this really is. It's a matter of, "I like Obama, or I like McCain so I'm going to distort the news in favor of those candidates" So what does that leave for the average reader and viewer? It leaves them with false information that influences their vote. When you have a media trying to help elect one candidate you put the country second and your own choices first. The media has an obligation to report what's in front of them and not what they choose to see or hear. Perhaps it's a liberal backlash funneled through media ties that in the end reach millions of homes. Or maybe like I said before it's just plain old arrogance and selfishness. I wanted to be a journalist for a long time, I thought maybe I could be the ones who actually remain balanced and fair in my reporting; but then again I feel like It would be no use. I would either reject the profession eventually or get fired for my unwillingness to go along with the "program"

So to the MSNBC's and the NBC's out there, I hope it's what you want in the end. Putting your own agendas and partisan preference before the one's who actually come to your doorsteps looking for honest and serious news. You may have gotten away, but by the skin of your teeth with biased reporting and purposely withholding information about one candidate, while dumping continuous news and revelations about the other during the Democratic primary, but this time the American people are on to you. This time, as seen in your recent decline in viewers and ratings overall, you're going to be held accountable and at the mercy of the public. Again, I hope it's all worth it.

At the same time the McCain campaign mustn't be so reluctant to put Sarah Palin into the eye of the storm. They cannot give the shark infested media a reason to define her. I'll give the media a little benefit and say some, not all actually want to know more about her, although many of them want to sink her fast because they know she turns this election in a way that won't benefit their guy Barack Obama. Many liberals in the media hate the fact that Gov. Palin might have upstaged Barack Obama. He's their guy and that doesn't sit well with them. We as reason citizens have to weed out these unfair and biased reporters and call them on it. Make them accountable. But again, I'm confident this will all backfire and the media will finally learn their lesson. If not well, this will truly be the year journalism died.