Once again, I find myself shaking my head in disbelief as I watch as journalists go overboard sensationalizing an event. The media tend to never back down when it comes to judging someone else’s mistakes. Vice President Dick Cheney finds himself right smack in the middle of their latest conquest.
I used to work as a news reporter covering local city government. What I hated most, besides the endless hours, is that for a story to be real news, it always seemed that someone’s name or reputation was being destroyed. Yes, I said it.
As a member of the media, and someone who considers herself a journalist, I admit there is a fine line between objectivity and bias. Even when you are telling the truth it always seemed someone would look bad. At first I had fantasies of being the next Woodward, searching for truth and justice, but I learned quickly that it is all about making the editor, publisher, professor, advertisers or readers happy.
While studying journalism in college in liberal Arkansas, I learned quickly the more pro President Bill Clinton a story was the higher the A. In Texas, I learned the more conservative a story was, the more reader response I received.
Now I am in awe as the media tear Cheney apart because of a recent hunting accident. It isn’t the accident per se or the fact that he shot a companion accidentally that they are mad about, but that they were not informed. I have compiled a few reasons why they are simply absurd to keep reporting this.
It is their jobs
When did journalism cease to be about investigating and researching stories? Why would a reporter have the audacity to expect people to come to the newspaper or television station and provide them with the news? Part of being a reporter is going out and finding the news. That is why reporters have beats to be on constant look out for news. It is sad that they expect the Vice President to just do their job for them.
It is not news
Maybe if it was, Vice President Cheney would have felt compelled to inform the press. Hunting accidents happen every day. In fact, while looking at statistics, this type of accident is more prevalent than other types of hunting accidents. This type of event would never have been reported if it happened to anyone else, why expect the Vice President to know that it would have been news. If the press is having to get former opposite party presidents to come out and criticize the administration on its handling of the situation, they are stretching to make it news.
It wasn’t a conspiracy
The main complaint has been that Cheney did not immediately inform the press. The Vice President does not travel with the press like the President does. I think he had more on his mind besides running to the nearest pay phone to report to the press. He wanted to get his friend medical attention as well as let the ranch owner prepare for the mass chaos of media that would swarm her family ranch. I also think that his scheduling is such that as soon as he saw his friend was going to be fine, he needed to get back to his job.
It does not make sense
The press seems to be the only group upset by this. It would be different if the guy who was shot pressed charges or publicly reported his disgust. But the man actually apologized for the “embarrassment" he caused the Vice President. Or it would have been news if anti-hunting groups threw blood on him and called him a “killer." No conflict took place except between the press and the vice president.
So that brings us back to the beginning. Who does the press think they are that they can make up news that really isn’t news? They get their feelings hurt because a little local paper gets the story because Cheney wouldn’t do their job for them? Does this story make sense at all?
