May 17, 2005
Should journalists be held to a higher standard than the government?
The credibility of the media continues to wither as it is simultaneously exploited and attacked by the savvy political party that is calling the tune. Lax journalists may have brought much upon themselves, but there is more going on here.
Most recently, the White House self-righteously brayed that an errant Newsweek report about the conduct of U.S. interrogators at Guatanomo Bay has damaged our image abroad and caused riots in Afghanistan and Pakistan that cost lives. It is, of course, an inadequate and incomplete explanation— and a claim that should be worthy of intense scrutiny. Where will the White House claim get this deserved scrutiny? Probably on the Daily Show, Comedy Central’s “fake news” program that revels in pointing out intellectual inconsistencies, faulty reasoning, and hypocrisy.
Much of the mainstream media will focus instead on Newsweek’s journalistic failure, which does deserve attention. The right’s spin machine will add fuel to this fire in another sleight of hand designed to deflect attention from the impact that our own government’s ill-conceived policies have had on our image abroad; and let’s not forget the cost in lives.
We might also remind ourselves of the U.S. government’s errors in reporting the facts during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. Newsweek’s failure pales in comparison.
Posted by Andy Blackadar at May 17, 2005 11:18 AM
