There was a time in this nation when citizens trusted newspapers for objective, unbiased reporting of news and events, and thorough research and investigations into the issues of our time. And the readers knew they would get the publisher’s opinion in the editorial section of the paper.
Where do they go today for the truth? The media, on both the left and the right, have overtly and repeatedly demonstrated their personal bias throughout their so-called “reporting” and have proven themselves untrustworthy as watchdogs over those who would abridge our rights and our freedoms.
There was a time when journalists were respected and highly regarded members of our society. We depended on them and could count on them as our first-line of defense against those who would manipulate the facts or stretch the truth for their own cause or personal benefit.
There was a time when the distinction between “newspaper” and “tabloid” was readily apparent and obvious. If I were a journalist, I would be ashamed that readers no longer perceive or even know there used to be a difference. It seems the journalists’ view of the world today trumps the citizens’ indispensable requirement for transparency and counter-balance in the understanding and management of our society.
But most amazing is their wisdom, education, experience and knowledge of world history should have taught them that once the media becomes the useful tool of the bullies and the overly-ambitious, the disintegration of the society follows soon thereafter.
The truth of the matter is, the truth is not a constant. And it is for this reason, we must have those in our society who have the courage and the conviction to pursue the truth without fear of intimidation, persecution or retribution. The “pen is mightier than the sword” but who can we trust to pick it up and use it wisely for the common good?
Bill Monroe
Southlake, TexasOctober 30, 2008
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