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Volume 41, Issue 12
April 6, 2004
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April 6, 2004
Latest celeb trend: beat Iraq for day’s
top story
Kimberly
Hosey
Copy Editor
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Pop quiz: When did Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz break up? What’s
in this summer, open-toed sandals or tennis shoes?
OK, one more quiz: What did President Bush say about the economy during
his latest visit to the Valley? Why did the 15-nation Caribbean Community
recently refuse to acknowledge Haiti’s U.S.-backed interim government?
If you’re like most Americans, you probably aced the first “quiz”
and had a little trouble with the second. Don’t feel too bad. Americans
are becoming increasingly uninformed, but the blame lies with the media
just as much as on our own trend-wearing shoulders.
I’m going into a career in the media and I hold deep respect for
the profession and the duty to investigate and inform. However, for journalism
to thrive as a service, and for Americans to thrive as functional citizens,
we need to start taking ourselves a little more seriously.
I’m not condemning the desire to focus on the imaginary or superficial
occasionally. When we wake up to a world where civilians are killed and
their bodies dragged through Iraqi streets; innocent people are killed
and children kidnapped in our own community and misunderstanding, prejudice
and hate are still very alive, it’s both natural and necessary to
escape for a minute. We all find it easier to talk about Janet Jackson’s
peep show than to focus on boring legislative processes, or worse, bloody
combat. However, by sticking our heads in the sand, we’re missing
more than bad news.
The FDA just approved a first-of-a-kind drug to battle cancer. A huge
food aid shipment recently arrived in Haiti. American soldiers receive
sincere thanks from Iraqi citizens daily. Many in our own school and community
volunteer, mentor or even save lives each day. By ignoring bad news, we
miss the good stuff too.
To participate in a democracy, and to be respected internationally, Americans
need to be informed. If we aren’t at least as informed (often about
our own country) as our international neighbors, we really have no right
to complain if they view us as a bunch of ignorant, beer-hat-wearing Homer
Simpsons.
This brings me to the second blame bearers. A big chunk of the media has
taken its cue from the public and run with it. News is presented in bullets
or sound bytes. A story about Paris Hilton beats a story about new legislation
more often than not. The line between news and entertainment is now so
often crossed, it makes our southern border look like the Berlin Wall.
The public is viewed as having the attention span of a ferret and the
intelligence of Jessica Simpson. If no one’s going to pay attention,
why run a text-heavy article or broadcast on a single topic for more than
60 seconds?
I believe that Americans are pretty smart. I also think there are many
first-rate journalists whose reporting is representative of current events.
Raising the bar, in both cases, can be done.
So feel free to tune in to the next episode of “Survivor.”
But pick up a newspaper or flip over to the news during commercials. And
if you think they’re not doing their job, call ‘em on it. Back to Top
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