Soccer Mom: Unplugged

The media.  It's increasingly under fire in this country.  That's distressing considering the arguably noble intent with which the founders sought to protect our press.  Aside from having the opportunity to become the initial chroniclers of history, standing on the periphery of earth's bloody battlefield with pen in hand these writers could have recorded the churning upheaval that is humankind.  In America, they could have maintained a preeminent social position by standing guard as the people's watchdog over a government, that like all buearacracies, inherently seeks more power.

There was a time in the nation's early history that the dailies were known for their political leanings.  Everyone knew which papers, and which editors, leaned Republican and which leaned left.  The middle ground, if you cared to find it, was found amid reports from every side.  Over time, presumably in an attempt to professionalize the occupation, journalism became a job of "do not try this at home" proportion.  Information once passed over the wires was suddenly acquired by on-the-spot reporters and overseas correspondents.  And of course, the claims of objectivity followed.  As the trade developed into the work of "professionals", reporters were suddenly endowed with the superhuman ability to put aside all bias and report from a position of near divine neutrality.  Only, as any honest observer of human behavior will admit, we mere mortals just aren't equipped to stand apart from the fray, no matter how many college credits supposedly attest otherwise.

Once the American news peddlers began buying into the supremacy of their own written accounts, they truly became Carlyle's fourth estate.  The status infused it's constituents with a misguided, though undoubtedly for some well-intentioned, sense of noblesse oblige.  Oh, how the American media seeks to care for the ignorant masses.  Protecting us from our own interpretations of the day's events.  Sheltering us from the hard work of thinking for ourselves.  And now, when technological advances provide a medium that undermines the elitism of the pen, there is backlash against the citizens who point out that the watchdog needs watching.  The response of the AP to bloggers who question the veracity of released reports can only be compared to the disgust of a master with the slave who doesn't know his place.

As the press drives more and more wedges between other sources of information and the public, it's own credibility is undermined.  Like an alluring companion, the media has drawn many Americans away from a simple trust in government and social institutions.  Unfortunately for the industry, this is proving a fatal attraction as more and more citizens become disillusioned with the seduction of a press desperate to sell information with reckless disregard for truth or public interest. The result is an American public that is increasingly characterized by Fox Mulder cynicism.  It's as if our mantra with respect to information outlets is "Trust no one."

The media would better serve itself if they pulled back the curtain and revealed the simple truth that behind the multibillion dollar business are men and women with their own ideas and agendas.  Consider the popularity of Fox News Channel among the cable media outlets.  Does it have more to do with the obvious slant of the commentators or the deference shown for viewers by not trying to hide behind the thin veil of objectivity?  I would argue the latter.  Interestingly, FNC's newest catchphrase could be the title for this post and an indictment of the American media in general: We put the world in context. 

To which I can only respond, "Thanks, but no thanks."