The Fourth Estate Gone Wrong

The fourth estate is a common reference to journalism or the press as part of the check and balance of our constitutional government. Our founding fathers understood, especially Ben Franklin, that an inquisitive press into the dealings of the government was essential for an informed electorate. For the most part newspapers, journals, and magazines did just that. Later with the advent of radio and television, they too attempted to seek the truth, however they were and are more subjected to corporate influence.

Today we have lost an effective fourth estate. Network news has been transformed from a public service without a need to be a profit center to part of the entertainment division and required to be profitable. For that, they need huge ratings or audience numbers to attract the advertisers willing to pay high prices to advertise on the news program. FOX NEWS on cable has corrupted itself regarding its worthiness of being called a NEWS channel and  "fair and balanced" journalism. A recent review of their programming by an independent truth in media organization confirms they are not a news organization but a political action media organization. Various fact check organizations have documented that over 50% of the information they present is factually incorrect and in many cases down right lies.

What I find very disturbing is their fear mongering and language that could very easily incite a deranged person to act violently toward public and elected officials.This anti-government and a government lacking legitimacy in some way is anti-American and dangerous. This type of language can only lead to domestic terrorism as we have seen with the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995 by Timothy McVeigh, and just this year the man who flew his light airplane into a federal building that housed the IRS in Austin Texas, and the recent arrest of a Michigan militant group who was targeting police officers to kill so as to start a civil war, and the killing of Dr. Tiller. All of these individuals considered themselves right-wing conservatives. The mother of the man arrested last month for threatening to kill a US Senator was convinced that what lead her son to commit this crime was listening to FOX NEWS. Rupert Murdock needs to be held accountable for what is said on his television network. Free speech has a great responsibility to use it respectfully and not incite violence and flame fevered pitched anti-government sentiments. Honest passionate debate and discussion of the issues is important, but not the fabrications and hate that is coming from FOX NEWS these days. A news organization should not be sponsoring political ralleys as FOX has done with the Tea Party.That eliminates any credibility that they are fare and balanced in their reporting.

I do find that MSNBC has the most credible reporting. With that said, I do find it disturbing that some of the guests giving commentary are  from public relations firms, example Richard Wolfe. If they are from a PR firm, at least identify them as such so that the audience understands their comments may be biased toward their clients. However, most are other reporters, writers, and university professors who can give insight into a particular issue. I do find Rachel Maddow probably the most honest and hard hitting show on TV today. I respect her and she is very willing to correct any errors in fact that she may state. Her research is incredible and reminds me of the old days of hard hitting investigative journalism. Keith Oberman does take on FOX and their lies and distortions, but very few newspapers and other networks will.

The other network news, ABC, NBC, CBS, organizations have failed in their mandate to investigate the truth and report the truth has fallen to entertainment news to garner rating for more money. They fail to condemn other so called news organizations who have presented false or misleading information to the public. If the journalist community as a whole demands that Fox and others stop calling themselves news organizations and calling them on the factual errors they make, Fox's viewers might get the message that what they are being fed is corrupt and not factual. They can then judge for themselves the merit of the content whether actual news or political rhetoric. I don't know how you classify Rush Limbaugh. Talk radio use to be just a back ground noise and not taken seriously. However, Rush has become the defacto voice of the conservative movement and he does not care about facts or truth or if he incites violence. It is ratings baby, that equates to millions of dollars in salary. This guy is an ego maniac that thrives on controversy. Just his egging on the CPAC audience when he spoke there last fall shows is arrogance and passion for celebrity. And why is a talk show celebrity giving a speech on public policy at a political action committee meeting, where are the politicians who can actually pass such legislation?

I do not in any way indicate any form of governmental oversight of any media organization, but I do think it is appropriate and necessary that the press police themselves to preserve their needed place at the table as the fourth estate. Otherwise, we have lost that very important roll that the press plays in maintaining our democratic republic.

In order for these other news organization to take the step to police their own, they need to hear from their viewers that they demand their reporting to call out these factual problems and puts pressure on Fox and others to return to true journalism or not call themselves a news organization. Remove their legitimacy as such and call them for what they are, political hacks.