To say the American media took a step back in 2009 in terms of fairness, professionalism, quality, integrity, truth, honesty, and tastefulness is a misstatement. The fall of the media began in 2008 when the majority of the news media outlets became outright campaigners for Barack Obama.
From MSNBC assigning "news anchors" Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews to fairly "report" on the Democratic National Convention to FOX News promoting the Tea Parties and then claim they were just "reporting" on the events, we have seen some major breaches in journalistic ethics during the past 18 months or so.
As far as the media fell in 2008, it dropped even further in 2009.
The Liberal media either ignored or demeaned the Tea Party-goers this past summer. After the rally held in Lansing - which was the largest gathering at the Capitol - the Detroit Free Press made no mention of the event. The paper was almost criminal in its negligence.
Many Liberal outlets like MSNBC and CNN covered the events but had their own spins on what was going on and attacked those who dared speak out against their messiah, Obama. They refered to the people in attendance as "Tea-Baggers", which is a sexual reference and very demeaning to Americans expressing their rights.
CNN even had some dopey reporter ask a man at a Tea Party why he was there and when he tried to answer, she shouted him down and defended Obama. I have a journalism degree and one of the first things I was taught was to ask questions, get answers and do not add my personal biases to the story. I guess CNN doesn't care about things like professionalism and ethics.
I watch FOX News along with MSNBC, CNN and the local Detroit news broadcasts. I like some of what FOX News offers in terms of political views but I was disappointed on how it covered the Tea Parties. FOX has been accused of organizing the events but there is no evidence of that. However, the organization did promote the events to the point one of its main players - Glenn Beck - hosted one of the parties in Texas. Then, FOX News claimed it was reporting fairly on the Tea Parties like there was no connection at all with the events. It was a weak attempt at neutrality.
2009 also gave us the media virtually ignoring the ACORN controversy. Michigan Representative John Conyers once called for an investigation into the group, he said the "powers that be" called him off. Sounds like Chicago bully tactics to me, but there was little attention paid to the story. Conyers also said no one reads these new spending bills because they are too long and no one blinks.
President Obama surrounds himself with people who praise dictators, say they are communists, and have called for forced sterilization and abortions, but the media - other than Glenn Beck - ignored it all. The Science Czar John Holdren wrote in a book promoting sterilizing drinking water and forcing abortions on people, but we don't hear a peep out of Olbermann or Matthews, who were very quick to attack Sarah Palin as anti-woman because she is pro-choice.
I wish the media would have reported on the president's appointees as hard as they went after Joe The Plumber for merely "questioning" Obama.
Why did I even bother to expect any good reporting out of the Liberal media? Obama went to racist church and associated with a domestic terrorist and the Liberal media just laughed it off saying it didn't matter.
I wonder how the media would have reacted if John McCain would have started his political career in the home of a former Klan member? Oh, I know, he would have been crucified. But, Obama does just that with William Ayers - a man who admitted to bombing police stations in this country - and no one cared because Ayers did all those things when Obama was child. Actually, it was because most Liberal media types hate this country and don't care that Ayers is traitor and generally a piece of s#!t.
The media is in a sorry state and that is why newspapers are failing, magazines sales are dropping, and TV news must produce entertainment pieces to keep people tuned in. If the news media focused on being fair and reported the truth, people would read and tune in. Instead, the media is only interested in promoting its own agenda.
Ask a random sampling of people about the biggest stories of 2009 and some would say the economy or unemployment or health care, but most would probably say the Tiger Woods scandal or Jon and Kate or the Balloon Boy.
How many would even know the Senate wiped its collective butt with the Constitution when it gave sweetheart deals to buy off senators to pass the health care bill? None, I'd imagine because the bully tactics and payoffs the current Congress and Obama Administration take part in are of no consequence to MSNBC and other Liberals because they have an agenda and want to see it take root in America.
Is this "Change We Can Believe in"? Of course not. It is the same old garbage out of Washington and the media is turning a blind eye to it.
I hope 2010 sees a turn for the better in American media. But I am not holding my breath.
