What is at the heart of the Sherrod issue? Some would have you believe (Keith Olbermann) that it is a mandate against Fox News and the right in general. Some would have you believe that it is a commentary on the racism within black institutions (Andrew Breitbart). There are other red herring's at play as much as there are other examples that could be given. Though there may be an element of truth contained within these positions, they do not represent the greater concern. What they do is to rally a specific segment of their audience by feeding to their established opinions on certain issues and in doing so actually illuminate where the heart resides.
In an article from The Guardian, Lola Adesioye writes:
That the NAACP, itself supposed to be an organisation concerned with equality, was so fast to denounce Sherrod as "shameful" is another surprising twist – it also had to backtrack once the full video was made available. Rather than taking responsibility for not using due diligence and checking the facts, the NAACP said it had been "snookered" by Breitbart and Fox News. The truth is, the NAACP was not "snookered"; it simply failed to act in a professional manner.
Conservatives can defend the idea that Fox News is "fair and balanced" but the fact remains that it is watched primarily by Conservatives. The same can be said for any "liberal" media outlet. What is highlighted in this quote by Ms. Adesioye is that there is a truth value assigned to today's journalists to the extent that if we hear, see or read it we are inclined to believe it. How often does one, after listening to Olbermann or O'Reilly or Limbaugh or Maddow, take the time to investigate their opinions or the opinions of their guests? And if we convey their opinions as fact, how often to we blame them for the information?
When writers like Leslie Savan try to paint this in a political light, Weapons of Mass Distraction, the sentiment conveyed is that it is a problem of politics. While it is true every media outlet (save the likes of the Atlanta Journal Constitution and CNN) should have delivered a highly visible apology, the idea that only the Right is the enemy plays into the problem. As was noted on the Today Show this morning, that problem is the politicizing of journalism. The once trusted media outlets have become the pawns to the political powers that either invest in them or for whom they have ideological agreement. Even more frightening may be the power of advertisers to dictate content.
If the news has become nothing more than opinion pieces we should all be careful. Broad sweeping generalizations are an easy red flag and serve to do nothing more than divide us into our little groups where we feel validated and safe. To put this in a different "color", do you recall the Duke Lacrosse incident? Do you recall how the media handled it along with political figures within the state and the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton? Do you recall who did and who did not issue apologies? To a more recent incident, there is Obama's public assertion that the Harvard acted "stupidly", only to find out it was his friend professor Henry Louis Gates.
These tactics are not isolated to a particular political party or special interest group. We, as citizens, need to be better educated on events and more critical of the information we receive. It goes beyond questioning the source to questioning intent. Much like Shirley used the moment in her speech as opportunity to change, so should we use her conflict for our personal benefit. As long as we empower politicized or "shock" journalism that is the information we will receive. By questioning intent and digging for more information we better serve ourselves and our community.
When writers like Leslie Savan try to paint this in a political light, Weapons of Mass Distraction, the sentiment conveyed is that it is a problem of politics. While it is true every media outlet (save the likes of the Atlanta Journal Constitution and CNN) should have delivered a highly visible apology, the idea that only the Right is the enemy plays into the problem. As was noted on the Today Show this morning, that problem is the politicizing of journalism. The once trusted media outlets have become the pawns to the political powers that either invest in them or for whom they have ideological agreement. Even more frightening may be the power of advertisers to dictate content.
If the news has become nothing more than opinion pieces we should all be careful. Broad sweeping generalizations are an easy red flag and serve to do nothing more than divide us into our little groups where we feel validated and safe. To put this in a different "color", do you recall the Duke Lacrosse incident? Do you recall how the media handled it along with political figures within the state and the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton? Do you recall who did and who did not issue apologies? To a more recent incident, there is Obama's public assertion that the Harvard acted "stupidly", only to find out it was his friend professor Henry Louis Gates.
These tactics are not isolated to a particular political party or special interest group. We, as citizens, need to be better educated on events and more critical of the information we receive. It goes beyond questioning the source to questioning intent. Much like Shirley used the moment in her speech as opportunity to change, so should we use her conflict for our personal benefit. As long as we empower politicized or "shock" journalism that is the information we will receive. By questioning intent and digging for more information we better serve ourselves and our community.
1 comment:
You're so right; everybody overreacted here. I feel mildly pleased to think that, when I first saw this on Yahoo News, the first thing I did was click on the link and read the entire story, after which I said, "What??" But then, I trained as a librarian; we were never supposed to give anybody a fact without a backup reference... (TOO twentieth century!)
Post a Comment