At times, this system produces TV reports in which it is difficult to separate journalists from the government. Recently CBS News's Jim Axelrod, embedded with the Third Infantry, discussed an intelligence briefing he sat in on and said, ''We've been given orders.'' Realizing the implications of what he said, he revised himself: ''Soldiers have been given orders.'' On that same day, NBC anchor Tom Brokaw began reporting on ''how successful we were'' in a battle before correcting himself: how successful ''the United States was.'' The anchors were similarly American-centric as they had more somber news to report, including Marines engaged in heavy fighting in southern Iraq and a British jet shot down by a Patriot missile, killing two airmen.
Journalists should worry about what those slips of their tongues say about their ability to be independent and honest. So should the American people, if we are serious about democracy.
I think it's too late to expect independence out of mainstream American media.
The solution is to develop a source pool from international media outlets and independent journalism that this war has shown to be reliable and unbiased.
There are certainly plenty of unreliable and biased international outlets but from what I've seen there's no reason to think American based mainstream media has any practical value.
Also, when possible, rather than relying on media, try to find original documentation of information in toto as a reference point.
The mainstream US media will have to prove itself starting from 0. The jingoism employed has been atrocious. |
