Why Americans Hate the Media

I remembered today that The Atlantic had opened up their archives and decided to poke around. The headline on one article (the heading of this post) caught my eye and I found its lengthy lede very compelling.

Below is an excerpt from a hypothetical question posed by a TV interviewer to Peter Jennings.

Why Americans Hate the Media.

...

"But while Jennings and his crew were traveling with a North Kosanese unit, to visit the site of an alleged atrocity by U.S. and South Kosanese troops, they unexpectedly crossed the trail of a small group of American and South Kosanese soldiers. With Jennings in their midst the Northern soldiers set up an ambush that would let them gun down the Americans and Southerners.

What would Jennings do? Would he tell his cameramen to "Roll tape!" as the North Kosanese opened fire? What would go through his mind as he watched the North Kosanese prepare to fire?

Jennings sat silent for about fifteen seconds. "Well, I guess I wouldn't," he finally said. "I am going to tell you now what I am feeling, rather than the hypothesis I drew for myself. If I were with a North Kosanese unit that came upon Americans, I think that I personally would do what I could to warn the Americans."

Even if it meant losing the story? Ogletree asked.

Even though it would almost certainly mean losing my life, Jennings replied. "But I do not think that I could bring myself to participate in that act. That's purely personal, and other reporters might have a different reaction."

Ogletree turned for reaction to Mike Wallace, who immediately replied. "I think some other reporters would have a different reaction," he said, obviously referring to himself. "They would regard it simply as another story they were there to cover." A moment later Wallace said, "I am astonished, really." He turned toward Jennings and began to lecture him: "You're a reporter. Granted you're an American" (at least for purposes of the fictional example; Jennings has actually retained Canadian citizenship). "I'm a little bit at a loss to understand why, because you're an American, you would not have covered that story."

Ogletree pushed Wallace. Didn't Jennings have some higher duty to do something other than just roll film as soldiers from his own country were being shot?

"No," Wallace said flatly and immediately. "You don't have a higher duty. No. No. You're a reporter!""

Notes before News War

A friend has been gracious enough to tape the first instalment of News War tonight (I don't have cable and I don't trust my internet connection to hold through a one-hour webcast... does DRM cover that?). I'll watch it as soon as I can, but before I do here are some thoughts.

Clearly, someone read this blog and then went back in time to produce this show. They're doing a lot of what I'd like to do, right down to posting what appear to be full, unedited interviews such as this one with Seymour Hersh. There are 50+ interviews on tap for this project--not a small accomplishment, given how lousy reporters are as interview subjects.

When I first found News War, my first thought was, "Oh, so there goes the project." But then I realized that there's still room for this project next to News War. Theirs is an American project examining the American news landscape. Their focus is sharper and, granted, way more relevant in this age, but issue-focused and not as broadly appealing as what I'd like to do.

So I'm watching this one to see what will work and what won't.

News War on PBS

I am very much going to watch News War online. I found this mentioned on BoingBoing.net (thanks again Mr. Doctorow!).

(270 minutes) In a four-and-a-half-hour special, News War, FRONTLINE examines the political, cultural, legal, and economic forces challenging the news media today and how the press has reacted in turn. Through interviews with key figures in the print and electronic media over the past four decades -- and with unequaled, behind-the-scenes access to some of today's most important news organizations, FRONTLINE traces the recent history of American journalism, from the Nixon administration's attacks on the media to the post-Watergate popularity of the press, to the new challenges presented by the war on terror and other global forces now changing -- and challenging -- the role of the press in our society.