Do you ever get the feeling that the nightly news is missing something? Does it seem that their 15 second news clips don’t tell you much? Do you feel like what you hear is filtered? Guess what. You would be right. Here are some examples.
The Grassley-Graham letter is a letter written by two Republican Senators.
What’s that? You haven’t heard of it? I don’t doubt it. I watched mainstream network broadcasts after it was revealed. There was not one mention of this letter that I saw in three days.
Why? Mainly because it largely validated the issues and concerns raised in the Nunes memo regarding improperly obtaining a FISA warrant to surveil the Trump administration. In contrast, the Democrat response to the Nunes memo was touted daily, despite the fact that the Democrat authors had not read the Nunes memo and had not yet published their own.
Incidentally, when Trump refused to publish the Democrat memo, it was all that was reported. Ignored was that Trump refused it because of the classified information it contained. Also ignored was his statement that upon correction he would look at it again.
Here are some more examples. Three DACA (Obama’s Dream Act executive order) importees admitted to human trafficking. It was also found that one illegal alien now charged with murder has been deported 44 times in 15 years. The negative impacts of illegal immigration appear to be systematically ignored. Instead the media seemed focused on whether First Lady Melania Trump’s white pantsuit means she hates her husband.
Reporting has come ad nauseum for South Korea about how wonderfully Kim Jo Jong, the sister of North Korean despot Kim Jong-un, conducted herself. A Reuters headline said, “Head held high, Kim’s sister returns to North Korea” as if that was newsworthy. No mention was made of her brother’s regime starving millions of North Koreans and imprisoning or murdering millions more. What was reported was that Vice President Pence did not interact with her, written in a manner to make him look bad.
Outgoing Planned Parenthood CEO Cecille Richards said Christian doctors should be forced to perform abortions regardless of their moral or religious beliefs. She said it was discrimination for doctors to refuse abortions. No mention was made or reported on about the right to freedom of religion. Nor was there any mention of thoughts about our government forcing someone to do something they oppose.
Hillary Clinton refused to fire a campaign official after he was accused of sexual misconduct during her 2008 presidential campaign. She said she believed the accuser but chose to keep the offender in his position while removing the woman. Was there any reporting on the irony of the so-called champion of women’s rights failing to punish the perpetrator? Of course not, Hillary was to be protected at all costs.
A California lawmaker introduced a bill in the state legislature to ban the use of plastic straws. No reporting was done on the fact that California can make plastic straws illegal but can’t make illegal immigrants illegal.
The adage that “A lie told often enough becomes the truth” Stated in “The Crown of a Life” by Isa Blagden in 1869, it has since often been iterated in various forms by such wonderful people as Marxist Vladimir Lenin and Hitler’s propaganda officer for Hitler, Joseph Goebbels. I am beginning to believe that concept is being taught in journalism school.
What is apparently not being taught is unbiased reporting. There is a course in ethics required to obtain a degree in journalism. I have no idea what the course content is or if it has changed over time. Assuming it covers behavior that frowns on deception, it is apparently ignored after graduation. Far too many so-called journalists are nothing more than opinion writers.
There is nothing wrong with writing or voicing opinions. I do that. The problem arises when that writing or statement is asserted as reporting.
That smacks of intent to mislead, either intentionally or otherwise. Further, omission of pertinent information is as damning as slanting the commission of information. Journalists continue to claim they are unbiased yet their product is rife with opinion and political rhetoric.
You should not trust any media source as a stand-alone source on any issue. Verify it. And don’t use other mainstream sources as your verification. They all follow a story like sheep. Same with the internet. Use some common sense.
Tom Riggins’ column appears every other Friday. He may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.