Journalism needed in our communities
A great example of welcome whistle-blowing by a journalist, reported in the Jan. 9, 2023, issue of the Gaston Gazette, is the PBS reporter who, after exposing the abuse of the disabled by the DHHS in West Virginia, was recently fired for her courageous reportage.
Reporters’ actions such as gaining the release of body-cam footage of mal-performing police officers, is another admirable example of reporting which should be emulated and increased.
“Watchdog journalism” is a boon in our society, calling out malfeasance by politicians and the elite.
However, the frequent surreptitious insertion of opinion into what is ostensibly “news” is a continuing annoyance in the mainstream media.
Opinion belongs on or opposite the editorial page, not surreptitiously slipped into what is supposed to be objective reporting. What we need, to paraphrase Bruce Willis, is “Just the facts, ma’am!”
But the mainstream media more and more tells readers subtly "what" to think, not just giving us the facts so we can make up our own minds.
However, the mainstream media’s dominant “progressive” viewpoint (in societies less given to euphemism, it’s called “socialistic”) is that we are to be good little citizens, do as we are told, and obey the power elites in government and business. We hear it from Gannett, MSNBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and of course The Associated Press (who, when the Democrats are in power, would more accurately be called the Administration Press).
Their attitude toward private firearm ownership — a major benefit in leveling the playing field between ne’er-do-wells and their victims — is telling. We are advised to keep our firearms locked up at home (instead of teaching our children about the proper use of defensive weapons) which means we’ll have to ask the thug breaking in, “Give me a moment, I have to put in the password to open my gun safe.” Ridiculous!
Of course anytime they discuss “LGBTQ rights” they don’t point out that specific individuals do not have rights above and beyond the human rights we each enjoy. Are there Left-Handers Rights? Are there Redhead Rights? Obviously not, and whatever group they allege has special rights demonstrates muddle-headed thinking at its finest.
One of the more galling — if minor — practices now adopted by journalists (imitating lemmings) is the use of “Black” instead of “black.” If they also used “White” instead of “white” it would be merely silly, but by capitalizing only “black” they are exhibiting a racist orientation — i.e., making decisions based on race. Of course one mustn’t point that out in polite society.
It is truly sad to see the decimation of local newspapers’ newsrooms, as reported in the Jan. 10, 2023, Gazette, particularly because local control of newspapers once was a whistle-blowing bulwark against the malfeasance of government and business.
One of the few glimmers of hope is the growth of Libertarian think tanks such as the Cato Institute (cato.org) and the Institute for Justice (ij.org), since the only effective way to counter bad ideas is with better ideas such as those generated by those think tanks.
Despite the barriers thrown in the way of the Libertarian Party by the Demopublicans (who don’t want the competition) voting for the Libertarian Party’s candidates are a way for voters to express their displeasure with big government, inflation, foreign adventurism and control of our lives represented by the two legacy parties.
David Hoesly is a member of the Public Policy Committee, Gaston County chapter of the Libertarian Party.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County needs journalism
