From: Vic
This is a subject that almost everybody in the
Vic
Retired reporter
Vic,
When I took journalism classes, once upon a time, the basic core value taught (ok, beaten in) was that a reporter should report, without opinion, sway or influence, the FACTS of the story/event. Careful choice of words used was mandatory because every word affects meaning. It was (then) presumed that the listener could develop their own opinion(s) based on what information was given. That’s rather problematic for a reporter to do because we all react to input. Those decisions are based on ethics and ethics is usually required in any job. All public services and most businesses have mechanisms in place to weed out those with ethics not in alignment of the accepted norm (investment bankers are one exception). The courts handle the worst cases. [Bad reporters tend to get their own shows.]
I’ve seen both extremes of reporters in my career (fire department); those that actually did their homework and could manage to reduce their new knowledge to inform an uneducated public and those that didn’t give a crap except that their hair was in place and then spewed biased commentary regardless of the facts. The majority of them are pretty much in the middle, leaning towards the latter, the great ones are rare [Walter, we miss you]. And yup, just like any other biz, there are bottom feeders (Geraldo, Jerry and worse).
Which group do you think the reporters belong in for the Camping ‘event’? Did they inform the public or make it a spectacle? That’s part of the ‘power’ allowed to them by deciding what is newsworthy. That’s ethics. My opinion is that it was overblown, then hyped, ridiculed and hyped further.
Just because one CAN do something doesn’t mean that one SHOULD do something. Did they report on gross stupidity to make a buck and to blow one’s own horn? That’s ethics.
Again, the only ‘good’ thing from this is that folks already know that one day this party is over and that they’ve been warned. What folks choose to do in reaction (other than panic) may make a story on a slow news day, but I’d rather read/hear about how the newborn bison are managing in the still falling snow of Yellowstone or how a young single mother is beating the odds and self-supporting her child(ren) without welfare assistance because ‘it’s the right thing to do’ or how our soldiers are warmly welcomed home as they serve our country keeping us safer or how I can help to make a difference to those with a valid need. But sadly, we’re blasted with stories of bastard children of rich/powerful folks or who’s getting a divorce, sleeping with whom or similar. That ain’t my business and I just don’t care, I know some people have no ethics or common moral fiber, I’ve seen it firsthand.
Tell me of why highway 50 is closed (because that is my backyard and it’s been closed a while now); tell me how ‘going green’ is having an impact and about things that are working (projects coming in UNDER budget) at the same time you tell me of falling planes, bad city supervisors, thieves and drunks and plain stupid people. THAT would be refreshing and balanced. Is it any wonder why I tune out most of the ‘news’ presented these days? I can digest and sleep better when I’m ignorant.
The world may be coming to an end ‘soon’, but there ARE folks out there doing the right thing and behaving well. Shouldn’t we hear of them too because it’s ‘newsworthy’? Oh yeah, that doesn’t make a buck. Folks want to hear of bad things happening so they can feel better about their existence. Cynical? Perhaps, but tell me I’m wrong about this human nature.
I didn’t become a reporter for the same reason I wasn’t a lawyer, I wanted to be able to stay true to myself and knew what moral risks were involved. (I did take law classes simply because I wanted to be informed and so I could better protect myself and others.) Like reporters and lawyers, I’ve dealt with the best/worst of folks at really bad moments in their lives; seen the bottom feeders and guardian angels in action and I did my best to mitigate their situation(s) by doing what I could. I managed to stay true to my ethics and values at the same time and I’d like to think I made a difference to those folks.
There is a lot of pressure to be acceptant of poor (even deviant) behavior; it’d be easy to fall from core standards. Shouldn’t we as humans or a civilization at least attempt to hang onto values and proper behavior? Shouldn’t we be given an opportunity to learn about, then honor those that stand firm and stay the course with accepted ‘common’ standards? In this day and age, they’re heroes, shining examples. That’s within the power of a reporter too, but that doesn’t happen often. [My son’s grandmother-in-law just lost her husband of 68 years; shouldn’t that duration without any rumor or dishonor have been reported as a model for us to emulate? She’s an amazing woman too.]
We don’t have to discuss this. I’ve said my piece and you don’t have to agree, but cc’ed the discussion group just in case. I’ve watched people for a long time and my greater (after college) school of social behavior was the real world; I know enough to say we’re all struggling somewhere in the middle of ‘good/bad’. I prefer being with wild animals to most people because animals are always honest and true to their nature; but I applaud those folks who are struggling to make it (or their situations) better. They fight the good fight, honor them.
Most of the people involved (reporters) in this Camping debacle failed to toe that mark; they reported it to MAKE the news, inexcusable in my opinion. Most of the Yahoo traffic on this topic was tongue in cheek or plain ridicule (one tool to keep each other ‘in line’). Let’s learn from this and move on.
Rick
PS There was once a young man about to leave home for college and enter into his new life. His father was wise enough to know that the son would be exposed to new and different situations and lifestyles and that he would be tested in new sometimes subtle ways. His speech to his son was short and simple. “You’ve been taught right from wrong. Don’t go do wrong.”
That’s a lot to say in very few words, a deep truth, the passing off the baton of life and the release of the father’s near completion of work (doesn’t really ever end, but it’s never the same again) out into the world, the father’s effort. [No, it wasn’t my father.] We should all be reminded of that, don’t go do wrong.
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