Tuesday, February 15, 2011

When a Lie is Not a Lie

Anderson Cooper has been getting lambasted by the media for days now, for the unforgivable sin of, gasp, calling a lie a lie. The lies, told by ousted President Mubarak, apparently should have been reported without the modifier of their truthfulness, at least according to the new standards of journalism -- where reporting what people say is their only job. Howard Kurtz of CNN, James Rainey of the LA Times and Chris Dickey all believe that the call to objectivity disallows the ability of a respected journalist to actually differentiate between fact and fiction. It is this sort of absurd call to "objectivity" that is at the heart of the problem with journalism today. Where once journalist sought to follow in the hallowed footsteps of Edward R. Murrow or Woodward and Bernstein, unearthing the truth from behind the shrouds of power, now the media tends to serve those very interests while holding steadfast to some absurd call to a higher duty. Luckily we still have journalists on the margins like Olbermann, Stewart and Moyers, willing to call a lie a lie -- but until the mainstream media begins to restore their integrity by actually serving as the fourth estate, the line between truth and fiction will continue to blur. Global Warming? Well, some guy in a coffee shop in Iowa said it's a lie and I guess it's the responsibility of venerated newsmen to report that as if it were an incontrovertible truth. Where have you gone Cassandra of Troy?

No comments: