by thamoskuk9 » Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:41 pm
Here is some desk-clearing of America Back on Track items on Saturday, June 14th.
Some observations on the news...
By all accounts, Tim Russert was a respected journalist and well-liked. I didn't watch the Sunday talk shows – though I did read their results – because I felt they kept interviewing the same suspects and didn't really move us forward. Russert was with NBC News for 22 years, running their Washington bureau, and anchoring their Sunday broadcast since 1991. One measure of his effectiveness as a journalist is how the nation has done since then, especially over the past seven years during which time he had considerable influence; to the extent that his doggedness scared some people away from being guests on his broadcast. So kudos for that. But there is this codicil, that Russert, along with Jennings, Brokaw, Rather, and some others, were supposed to represent the public's need to know against the powers that be and they failed us. They didn't stand up for the facts, not adequately; where we are today is the proof. Instead, they bent over backwards before the Bush-Cheney-Rove onslaught, abetting the pushing through Congress of the Patriots Act and then the invasion of Iraq. The press failed to hold the feet to the fire the government officials responsible for Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo; global warming, the subprime crisis, soaring food prices. These were all stories that happened on their watch, and they neglected to adequately inform us of the truth. Tragically, Gibson, Couric, and Williams are milquetoast compared to their predecessors. One hopes, but doubts, that Russert will be succeeded by a well-informed, public-minded bulldog...who can get the job done.
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