Broken Media: Laura Ling and Euna Lee Remain Imprisoned

"Is the media broken? I'm rarely inspired by what I see in the media. Television is supposed to be the most powerful medium-but TV news seems to be anything but powerful." These are the words of journalist, Laura Ling. Words that she posted on her website. They are a revelation of her personal feelings about the media and her goals along with the conjunction of Vanguard media to bring to light the issues of the world that often don't get the coverage they should despite the importance of those topics. The importance of wonderful issues and sometimes life threatening issues {whether indirectly or directly} that are downplayed by the media in the world of mass communication should be a priority considering how these topics have a pivotal and dramatic affect on our earth, survival and how we simply live our everyday lives.

Journalists like Ling and Euna Lee covered issues such as drug cartels, child trafficking, genocide, genital mutilation, poverty, abuse,waste dumpings and other reports that rarely capture the headlines but keep us captive in a mental prison of ignorance when we are not aware of those things. This past February, Ling covered the problematic Mexican drug cartel and reported about a journalist who had been researching the Cartel and was beheaded in Mexico. Ling stated that a message was being sent out to journalists as the head was placed on a journalism monument. Soon after, another journalist was executed in Juarez.. Ling publicized the story on Current TV. The curiosity of life and how we all co-exist in our world despite us being strangers to each other divided by national lines and borders is often what propels many writers to search for understanding and meaning of all those things that later become a part of our history because of what we call news.

In a correlation and agreement of her sister's thoughts, Lisa Ling's professional journalism career has also been highlighted by the quest to go deeper and enter inside a world that is at times unimaginable and surreal. The Ling sisters involved themselves in issues that seem to be far away from their quiet upbringings in Sacramento, California. On her website, Lisa Ling wrote that, "I hope this site becomes a place for dialogue and the exchange of ideas. I want to raise consciousness about issues and stories that don't always make the headlines. I believe that global awareness makes a person smarter and ultimately more human. I'm grossed out by what some "news" outlets masquerade as news. It seems that so many of these outlets cover international stories only when there's catastrophe or war. It's a shame."

The goals of the Ling sisters seemed so simple but in a complicated world laced with self absorbent politicians or rather dictators and a human population crippled by fear and intoxicated by sensationalism and gossip- it is difficult to breathe to life issues that are often considered dead by the mainstream. To resuscitate the issue of child trafficking, Laura Ling and Euna Lee traveled to Korea with the hopes that their media platform could perhaps influence those who have the power to change the atrocities of child victimization that plague the world.

Child trafficking is a business that some countries thrive off of. It is a hidden aspect of their economies at the expense of children not in even close to their adolescent stages. The little ones are small but provide a huge profit to the heartless who are solely motivated by riches. The absence of a sense of spirituality that helps humanity understand that we are all somehow valuable and ought to be treated with a sense of worth triggers individuals to be shameless and uninhibited in their psychosis of hatred decorated by the ills of egocentricity. It is always the innocent and the oppressed who pay a high price in societies that reward exploitation. There are millions of children trafficked that are thrown into a life of slavery both through labor and sex. Those who are nonchalant about their sicknesses and comfortable with being predators often escape to obscure places in Africa, Asia, South America and parts of the Caribbeans that cater to pedophiles who bask at having endless lists of young girls and boys at their service. In some countries a five year old is probably entering kindergarten and their greatest worry may be missing their favorite television programs like Sponge Bob or The Suite life of Zack and Cody or perhaps not having their way at the playground or school. For the children who are trafficked their biggest concern is what hour of the day will they not be subjected to rape. Others who are slaves may simply wish to have a few hours of sleep to rest their under-developed weary bodies- fatigued by twenty hours of forced labor everyday.

In a Dong Al Ibo article entitled North Koreans Are Starving, writer -Jae-Young Kim stated that, "Bhuwan Ribhu, the director of the Save the Childhood Foundation of India, pointed out that forced labor performed by victims of human trafficking was worth $31.6 billion (about 31.6 trillion won), and that the demand for child labor is increasing because it is cheap and because children have a difficult time resist systematic exploitation."

Journalism is supposed to be an eye-opener of the world that we live in. It is a sense of obligation and loyalty to humanity that many writers who care strive to maintain. It is very easy to become caught-up in mindless rhetoric that contribute to the cultural manipulation of a society that rewards behavior at its' worst, it's much more challenging to follow a positive path that is selfless and soulfully fulfilling because of the magnitude of change that can be incurred by our work. Writing, journalism and broadcasting is the vessel that helps people understand our world, economy, livelihood and relations with one another somewhat unifying us and making our lives a little bit better through our choices of structured sentences, paragraphs and stories that we release through our channel of communication. At most times it is an educational tool, a form of creative service with the intention to help, save, give hope and protect those who can not fight for themselves. It is also done at the risk of criticism at the least -and at worst at the risk of our lives.

In regards to Laura Ling and Euna Lee it is the intention that should be considered and not the mistake if any was truly made because with all the anger against the U.S and United Nations there is no telling if Ling and Lee actually committed any crime against Kim Jong II's dictated nation. When it comes to the politics of North Korea no one can argue that the agenda at hand is at times a match of power play. The issue of priority to Kim Jong Il and his communist regime is the continuous nuclear testing that is bringing fear to many countries-causing another sanction against North Korea by the United Nations. According to the Associated Press, Commander in Chief, Barack Obama declared North Korea a "grave threat" on Tuesday, June16th. The ailing dictator who awaits the transition of power to his younger son seems to be playing politics and it makes many wonder if Laura Ling and Euna Lee are mere pawns being used for bargaining rights. The Standard reported that, The North Korean state-run newspaper, Minjo Joson, vowed on June 9 to use nuclear weapons in war as "merciless means of offense to deal retaliatory strikes" against anyone who "dares infringe upon the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK even a bit". The North Korean administration is again lashing out about the new sanction against any trade into their country and the halting of any ships entering the country. CNN reports that the country is planning another nuclear test. The AP report states that, "North Korea warned Wednesday of a "thousand-fold" military retaliation against the U.S. and its allies if provoked, the latest threat in a drumbeat of rhetoric in defense of its rogue nuclear program."

In a Huffington Post article, California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger stated that, "Maria [Shriver] and I were saddened to learn of the sentencing of Laura Ling and Euna Lee. In addition to sending them our deepest thoughts and prayers, California stands ready to offer any resources and assistance the federal government may need to bring these two journalists home safely. Journalism is a vital part of freedom and democracy, and we are all indebted to the men and women who risk their lives around the world to dig beneath the surface to uncover the real stories. We must work to ensure the safety of journalists who search for the truth in parts of the world where the press does not enjoy the freedom it deserves."