Back in the world Teenagers who haven't a clue about what's going on in the world are marching in the streets of America, protesting issues that they have no knowledge of, and opposing doctrines they haven't a clue about. It's a sad day when the news media actually wades into the small crowds of placard-carrying youth to get their viewpoints and find only vacuous young boys and girls who don't even know who the leader of Iraq is, why Osama bin Laden is being hunted by our military and covert agencies, or what the war against terrorism entails. I was horrified when one young girl, whose poster read "Stop funding war and fund child welfare instead." When asked about her position toward child welfare the first words out of her mouth - my hand to God - were: "I'm against child warfare." Aaarrrgh! What's going on here? It appears that one or two well-intentioned (or not) liberal dissenters figured that putting 14-year-old faces on the news would move America to question its political stand against Iraq, terrorism and geopolitical gamesmanship. But it blew up in their faces, far as I'm concerned. It was, in short, a farce. And the media (Yea, you, Fox Network) is eating this stuff up like a refugee who hasn't eaten in weeks.
I guess I'm disgusted with the craft I've embraced as my life's work. Providing information to the public in a fair, impartial (as possible) way, and doing it succinctly and honestly is and was the goal I had in mind when I decided to study journalism. Inspired by folks like Edward R. Murrow and, yes, Walter Cronkite, to name but two, I had a utopian view of the media. That view, sadly, has been eroded and shaken to its very foundation of late. However, I still pray that we can pull together and refocus our efforts toward improving the knowledge of our audience rather than simply titillating viewers, listeners et al. Oh well. Time to work.
Best of luck to all. And especially, to the military personnel in the thick of it.
Miller rants about spinelessness in the face of terrorism Read this!