Observations on TV News

I don't usually watch network newscasts - they just end up frustrating me. But I ended up watching this evening and a couple of things came to mind.

They keep having "news" stories on New Orleans musicians - how they're rising up from Katrina to restore the culture of New Orleans. But they don't talk about the people still displaced - mostly poor people. We don't hear mention of them. The millions of dollars people donated to help Katrina victims...how much of that has been spent? How many of the contract for reconstruction are going to political cronies? How about the land grab that's been going on to make New Orleans a corporate playground?

It sure would be cool if reporters staged their own revolution - if they refused to report such garbage. The corporations couldn't put on news if there was a strike. But they don't seem to have the guts.

Another thing I saw tonight was a story about people protesting military funerals. They seemed to be fundementalist wackos because their signs said stuff like "God Blows Up Soldiers" and things like that. That's not a slogan from any war protester I've ever been associated with.

But those protesters had protesters (of course). And in a soundbyte interview, one bikerguy said something along the lines of - these fallen soldiers fought for our freedom and they deserve respect.

OK...that's where he lost me. I'll start this point with the ubiquitous disclaimer that I support the troops, but I'll do it with an explanation. If you mean by supporting the troops that I hope none of them get killed or tortured and that none of them kill or torture, then yeah, I'm down with the troops. USA! USA!

But let's get this straight. The soldiers in Iraq are NOT fighting for our freedom. They may have been brainwashed into believing that - YOU may have been brainwashed into believing that. But they are not in Iraq to protect the United States. They are over there to protect and steal resources for rich people. Soldiers are pawns, plain and simple. I've always been ambivalent about military people. There have not been THAT many instances where our military has been protecting us (or even our allies). To varying degrees, there were alternative circumstances around decisions to go to war in every case.

Read the entire speech by President Eisenhower. Today, this guy would have been seen as being a crackpot lefty.

Gosh, I hope my phone doesn't get tapped now. I have so much to hide.

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I'll stay on the topic of TV News, but I'll add a local note. I just read the City Newspaper article on former Channel 8 reporter Rachel Barnhart. As a personal note, I hope things work out for her - she's always been fair to us (Greens).

I've been told by a prominent Green, many times, don't trust the media. I understand why - there have been a number of times I've had to contact a reporter or editor to complain about the slant of a story or a misquote. But I've always had the attitude to trust first, but if you burn me once, you're going to have to be extra nice to get my trust again. I'm not going to name names here, but there are reporters in all media who I trust and don't trust. Also, I know that what a reporter writes, films, records, isn't always what makes it to us...Hello, Mr/Ms. Editor.

Rachel is on the trusted list - for me anyway. I hope she gets treated a lot better than Jack Spula.