20060104
       As if they read this weblog yesterday, the media chose to prove my point then and again today. The first example is the terrible reporting done on the mining accident in West Virginia where almost every major news outlet reported that 12 of the miners were found alive based on a spoken rumor, only to remove that report several hours later after it was revealed that the rumor was false. The second example is the return on reporting on Iraq with the slaughter of dozens of civilians by insurgents.
         There is no excuse for this kind of dishonest, inaccurate, and biased reporting. For an industry that claims to report fact and whose reputation is built on objectivity, the existence of this kind of reality is intolerable. What is worse is that the media will not even acknowledge that such a reality exists. Where are the newscasters apologizing for the misreporting last night?
         What is the solution? Basically, the media must be held to account for their behavior, and likely the only injury they will acknowledge is a financial one. In simple terms, a basic boycott of advertisers is the answer, but in reality such an action is impossible to enforce.
         Another way, perhaps, is for contentious people who want to know what is going on to seek out alternative sources of news and to support those sources, especially by making them known to others. As the influence of such alternative sources grows, the mainstream media must adapt or eventually die.
DLH
In fairness, I found this article soon after posting my original post. It’s not an ‘I’m sorry’ but it’s a close as we’re likely going to get. Even with such an oblique admission, the basic facts remain true: the media lies, misreports, and distorts the truth, and accepts little or no responsibility for that fact.
DLH
Another opinion on the same subject.
DLH