By Shonda Ponder
If there is one thing I have learned these last few months, it's that...well, frankly, news sucks. I used to be able to turn on the internet and be barraged with all kinds of interesting activist organizations. Now, in the wake of September 11th -- and all the subsequent legislation and political cataclysms -- it seems as if journalists have become afraid to speak their minds.
Fear. It's a new thing to us Americans. We touted and protected and defended 1st Amendment rights, then we realized how close the 1st Amendment is to what we call "action". Next, we decided that anyone who doesn't speak like, think like, or act like what we consider to be the norm should be investigated, and possibly denied their freedom. We were told that we should not live in fear; to go about our daily lives as we have before, because to live in fear would mean that the terrorists won.
No wonder journalists are afraid. If they really printed their opinions, or even reported what is actually happening, they could lose their jobs -- or worse: they could lose what little freedom they actually have.
I read stories in the newspaper today that tell me how great the government is, and how they are doing everything to protect me from terrorists. When I pick up the telephone, I think, "Am I being tapped?" When I use my credit card, I wonder, "Is someone watching what I buy?" I read an article the other day how grocery stores are losing money because Americans aren't shopping as much. Could it be that I am not the only one who thinks this way?...
Oh, I understand. I understand that very few people out there who are struggling to come to terms with this new lifestyle of fear will actually ask these questions out loud. After all, no one wants to be investigated just because they can think for themselves.
It would be refreshing, however, to see more journalists who are not afraid to tell us what is really happening, rather than try to get a Democrat or Republican elected. I'd like to know the facts, not who's to blame. I'd like the opportunity to place the blame for myself, as an average, everyday American.
I took journalism in high school. And, I dare say that what these journalists and reporters report today would have probably got me an F, if they turned it in to my teachers. All the opinions and political biases should be done away with. They have no business being in a newspaper. The newspaper and TV news stations are not there to tell us how to think. Their jobs are to report the facts so we can make our own decisions. And, most importantly, their job is to report the other side of the story as well.
One of the most important things I learned in journalism was that there are three sides to every story: the person's who caused it, the person's who was the victim, and the person's who witnessed the event. How often do we hear the other two sides of the story?
The truth is, I think that, after September 11, 2001, Americans actually wanted to be told what to think, because they honestly didn't know what to think. It's always safer to let someone else make the decisions. But, is it best?
I don't know why I am writing this, except to say that I can understand why newspapers are losing their audience, and why television news stations are losing their ratings. Wake up, people. It's the same reason people have stopped showing up at the polls: lack of variety, lack of excitement, lack of real news, and lack of control. We have no control over anything anymore. We don't even control how we are supposed to think anymore.
I think people have finally come to realize what they still refuse to admit, and God help us all if they ever admit it:
Freedom isn't free.
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