Why The MSM Is So Easy To Dislike

Hate is such a strong word. We're not supposed to hate vegetables, or clothes, or entertainment. We can dislike things, but we really shouldn't use the term hate. That's what my parents and teachers told me loudly and often as a child. But I have to say, God, it would be easy to say I hate the mainstream media these days.

I am very interested in this campaign for the Presidency of the United States. Actually, it's one of my main interests in life, kind of an obsession. I want to see the country squared away and on the right path before I get too old to care. So, daily, I click through the cable networks looking for the latest updates on what's going on in this much too long war of words. Instead of information, I encounter some of the sleaziest and laziest reporting in my memory by pundits who seem far more intent on impressing other pundits. Most have little interest in educating the public. They want only to show their fellow reporters what inside info they've gleaned at the last cocktail party they attended.

It is ever more clear that the Washington establishment and the press corp that covers it have settled down in some big feather bed together. None of the bed's occupants wants to crowd any of his or her bedmates, so nothing that would cause any discomfort gets reported to the poor schleps out here who are paying the rent on the room they all occupy.
That would be us, the taxpayers.

This unwillingness to actually report anything of import is compounded by the media's desire to appear "fair". What the hell does that mean? By this campaign's standards, it means that John McCain is outed for having 8 homes, then we must be sure to point out that Barack Obama made a lot of money last year. If we point out that John McCain doesn't seem to have a handle on the economy, we must point out that Obama got a low-rate loan on his home back in Chicago. Not quite the same thing, but, you know, it's fair.

Instead of concentrating on all the non-news items of this campaign, the press could restore some of its former dignity by forcing all parties to talk about something novel, like the issues.

I would like to hear about John McCain's plan to give us all a tax credit of up to $5000 to purchase health insurance. I want to hear how that's going to work for the folks who don't have the $5000 to purchase it in the first place....will he see to it that the government helps those people in some other way? I want to hear how Obama will fund his plan for health care. I want to hear how these guys plan to help end the job drain in this country. I would like to hear responsible media types discuss these matters, not the silly trivia and personality drivel so many of their members seem to thrive on. The MSM fears that we will all get bored and switch channels. Some viewers will. That's why there's a game show network, folk.

I hear interviews with candidates and their surrogates in which totally inaccurate and deceptive information is delivered by the pricipals and never challenged in any way. Is this because the interviewers are afraid they won't be able to get the guests back on their program or because they really don't know the correct answers to the questions so they can't challenge the guests? I have a sinking feeling that its a combination of both problems.

Edward R. Murrow, David Brinkley, Walter Cronkite, John Chancellor and Dan Rather would not have been afraid to ask the tough questions. And if they were given B.S. for answers they would have known and challenged the B.S. Like so many other things, those days are over and those figures gone.

Wake up, MSM. People are spending more and more time on the internet because you no longer satisfy. Man up and start doing your job. I promise that if you do, I'll try to only dislike you.