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Opinion An Independent Attitude Media goes from watchdogs to lapdogs Heath Ledger's mysterious death 9 days ago resulted in a gush of news coverage from the mainstream, infotainment and paparazzi media, including timelines documenting all that was known about his last hours.
Britney Spears' mental problems continue to dominate some of the entertainment news coverage, which seems some days to dominate the news itself. A few weeks go, the unlicensed psychologist Dr. Phil weighed in on Spears' situation. This week Barbara Walters, who can no longer be considered the real journalist she once was, discussed Spears' situation on "The View." Sometimes I have to wonder if the only information the media provides people with is the goings on of celebrities. In fact, I have to wonder if the United States has a new cult — the cult of celebrity. The Cult of Celebrity Heath Ledger, if he indeed died from an accidental drug overdose or drug interaction, isn't the only person in this country to succumb to the misuse of pharmaceuticals. And, if his intention was to use the legally obtained drugs to end his own life, he isn't the only person to die by his own hand. Millions across this nation, if you add the numbers, die yearly from illegal drugs, legal drugs and by suicide. Spears isn't the only person beset by mental problems, either. Millions — young and old, rich and poor, men and women — struggle daily with whatever it is that causes mental illness. It took decades for the pond scum that is the health insurance industry to recognize that mental illness is no less an affliction than a heart attack — and can be just as serious. But the media remains focused on the beautiful people and has failed to use those stories as jumping off points to look at the broader picture — with rare exceptions. Just follow the money. Follow the money Follow the money to the Los Angeles Times, which just dumped its third editor in three years. Even Howard Kurtz, whom I admire, couldn't resist tying the start of his story in The Washington Post to an entertainment metaphor: "By now, the script at the Los Angeles Times has become as familiar as a bad low-budget movie." He went on to report that Jim O'Shea wouldn't surrender to his Chicago-based corporate masters over more budget cuts. At least O'Shea ended his 14-month tour in the City of Angels and his 28-year career with the Tribune Co. like a man: He minced no words in calling the budget priorities "asinine," and he did so publicly. Thank God for candor. The Times and the Tribune, in the battle for profits that call for a return on revenue in the 20 percent range, will cut out the veteran and higher paid reporters and editors, trading them for less expensive and less experienced workers. Then, like other media chains with few ties to their local communities, the Times will overload the less experienced staffers with assignments that make doing fluff and puff imperative. Let's face it, it's easier to rewrite news releases and to latch on to people willing to talk about celebs than it is to file Freedom of Information and state public records requests. In addition, it takes resources to take on our own, and sometimes hostile, government officials and do the hard grunt work of giving readers and viewers insights to how our government works and, ultimately, how our lives are run. At least we have NPR It's not all bad news on the media front. National Public Radio continues to do a masterful job, with its real-time coverage of President George W. Bush's final State of the Union speech Monday night. Thanks to our 21st century Internet technology, NPR could stream the speech and the radio coverage and, almost simultaneously, have its most knowledgeable reporters fact-check Bush's remarks and post them on the Web. That's one example of journalism at its best. I think the role of the media has eroded since its high-water mark of Watergate coverage, but I don't have any easy fixes for the Fourth Estate. Where's the outrage? I suspect it will take another sea of change in which the public realizes our citizens are best served by a vigilant press and in which those who control the media understand that hard work and integrity are worth more to this country than a few percentage points of profit. To fail to return to the watchdog role, in my mind, disdains democracy and borders on treason. George Schwarz: Editor and publisher of the Amarillo Independent. george@amarilloindy.com E-mail
comments about this story Posted: January 31, 2008
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