The Laughing Wolf

Pots and Kettles

The idea of a follow-up to my CNN post came up recently, as a result of the growing debate and growing revelations of problems at CNN. The largest problem in doing such a post was the sheer volume of material. Where to start, how much to cover – these were just a few of the challenges facing me in doing a good, concise piece.

That changed a little while ago when the comments of the Director General of the BBC came to my attention. It seems that Greg Dyke feels that the coverage provided by U.S. Networks was so biased that it “threatened the credibility of America’s electronic media.”

This one statement vividly illustrates many of the points I have made in the past, as well as the one I face this morning. Nothing could better illustrate the self-obsessed grandeur of The Media; nothing better shows how a self-selected group has anointed itself as the knower of all and protector of the masses who don’t know any better; and nothing better shows the rampant bias of The Media and its so-called elite.

It also demonstrates the dilemma of the morning. The comments, as reported by Reuters, deserve to be fisked; indeed, they beg for line-by-line rebuttal and commentary. If I do that, the real meat of the story will be missed, just as it would be if I took the time to take apart a post from The Poynter Institute published, after an interesting delay. The Poynter Institute is dedicated to journalism ethics, excellence, and improvement, yet was strangely silent for many days after Mr. Jordan’s post ignited a firestorm. A column/commentary by Bob Steele was finally published which comes across as extremely favorable to and forgiving of CNN. Indeed, I found it to be surprisingly soft ball given the normal Poynter take on ethics. More than that, I found it to be insulting on many levels, both as a former journalist and as a media consumer.

The story of the morning is not the usual arrogance by The Media and its elite. The story is the circling of the wagons and the assault on truly free press by The Media. The attack by the BBC Director General – wonder when that militaristic title will have to go to appease the PC’ers at the Beeb – was not really against the U.S. media as a whole, but rather the favorite bogeymen of the extremists and foil-beanie crowd: Fox News and Clear Channel Communications.

Blogs are coming under increasing attack as well, though few are taken on directly. The fact that the average person can have a say scares many in The Media. The fact that journalists who don’t happen to be a part of The Media can get out their reports and commentary without gatekeeping scares them. You can expect to see many more such attacks in the days ahead, because they ARE hurt and scared.

The BBC, or the Baghdad Broadcasting Corporation as it is now called in many quarters, did not distinguish itself in glory of late. When your own correspondents take you to task, resulting in a vigorous whitewash by the home office, you have problems.

CNN continues to have problems here, as more comes out. There have been revelations by a former CNN reporter Peter Collins and the most interesting exchange between Marc J. Rauch and a CNN anchor, and add in the story by Tom Marzullo and a very disturbing picture is presented. These cover the past, in a manner of speaking, while Rich Noyes is one of several raising questions about the present. I would also urge you to check out Glenn Reynolds for some great commentary and even more links.

The facts are out there, and are getting increasing coverage outside of The Media. This, in turn, is both forcing some coverage in The Media and a growing set of counter-attacks. The people behind the curtain are being exposed, and they do not like it one little bit. They don’t want a truly informed viewship, as once their dirty laundry is exposed their ability to control information and manipulate both news and the public is compromised.

As individuals, you need to be informed, so go and read some links and dig. Then, make your decisions and vote with your pocketbook. Your viewership rewards those to whom you give it, and your switching channels does indeed make a difference. Choose wisely, for a lot more than ratings rides on your decisions.

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