BusinessNews Publishing - Summary: Watchdogs of Democracy?: Review and Analysis of Helen Thomass Book

The biggest problem with journalism today can be summed up by this commonly-heard statement: You cant believe what you read in the newspapers or hear on TV. In an era where the sheer number of ways the public can find out facts is exploding, never have facts been so much in doubt. Part of the problem is a lack of critical discernment by the public. Americans view The Drudge Report as a source as valid as the Washington Post . Americans have these views despite the fact that the Washington Post has fact checkers, reporters and attorneys on retainer and Matt Drudge has only a computer and Internet access.

Scandals have tainted everybodys view of journalism, even journalists, and this has helped fuel the belief that the press cant be trusted. Jayson Blair, the prodigy who turned out not to be as intent on getting at the truth as he was at getting at the paycheck, caused mass firings at the New York Times . Janet Cooke had to return her Pulitzer when it was discovered that her touching story about a child addicted to heroin was concocted. Even the famous Jack Kelley, a veteran reporter respected by the industry, was exposed as a better fiction writer than journalist. (He was caught when he trying to convince translators to corroborate his accounts of overseas stories.) Then there was Dan Rathers story on interesting gaps in George W. Bushs military service that caused CBS to fire Rather, but not to look further into the truth about Bushs service.

Without a doubt, journalisms integrity is questioned by many Americans today as a result of these events. However, there are other problems that have made things worse. For example, the Bush administration has paid journalists to laud their programs and they have sent out video-footage that looks like newsreels, but isnt. The Pentagon has paid foreign journalists to plant stories in the foreign press that give a positive spin to the American military. There was a man who reported for a news service with GOP ties under a pseudonym and asked questions designed to make Democrats look foolish.

The problems of today are not new. Reporters erred in the past, but they also uncovered things that did change history for the better. The Woodward and Bernstein team is an excellent reminder of the good that the press does. Both men worked hard to uncover the facts. They were able to reveal serious problems within the Nixon White House because they worked with their publisher, Katherine Graham, their editor, Ben Bradley, and their source, Deep Throat. In June 2005, this anonymous source finally stepped forward and disclosed his identity that had been kept secret by the Post editorial staff and both reporters.

If it werent for the reporters of the past, America would be a different place. It has been honest, hardworking reporters of integrity that have kept the personal ambitions, greed and power-lust from overwhelming Washington completely. Standard Oils monopolizing ways halted when Ida Tarbell, a pioneering female reporter, uncovered a conspiracy between Standard Oil and the rail lines to make it impossible for smaller oil companies to compete. Paul Y. Anderson, a freelance journalist, tracked down rumors to uncover the Teapot Dome oil lease scandal. When Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times and the papers were printed, it signaled to the government that they were being watched. Nixon and Kissinger went to court to prevent the papers from being published and were slapped down. The Supreme Court made it clear that the duty of the press was to expose duplicity by the government and that duty outweighed any other consideration. The environment that this court decision established kept Watergate from being swept under the carpet. It made reporters and editors very aware of the importance of their work.

The Iran-Contra scandal came to light via reports from a Lebanese newspaper. The Washington Press Corps picked up on this story and demanded answers from President Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush. Bush denied the story. Later, it was discovered that Bush had known and had participated in Iran-Contra after saying that they were simply renegades in the administration who planned and executed the entire thing. It was unfortunate that nobody went back to investigate further and confront Bush on his lie.

From that point forward, it almost seems as though journalism lost its focus. Instead of pursuing Bush to ask about that lie, the press corps became more interested in Clintons sex life and financial dealings than why drug smuggling and arms sales were covered up by the administration before his.

Many things have changed dramatically over the years, but there are some constants to the news game. Good journalism still takes legwork and an unwillingness to settle for less than the truth. Reporters in the 40s and 50s did not have the nice offices and computers of today, but they had the immutable sense of doing an important job. Reporters werent paid in money as much as knowledge and real access. Reporters were invited to state dinners then and reported on conversations with heads of state, foreign dignitaries and Presidents. The last President covered by Helen Thomas, George W. Bush, has had just five state dinners in six years.

The openness of the past has all but vanished. Reporters used to walk with the Presidents or jog alongside them in the park. Today, it is virtually impossible to get near the President, much less talk to him. Most reporters have to be content with second-hand access via the Press Secretary. In the Bush-2 presidency, the Press Secretaries have more loyalty to Bush than to the country. Not only do they simply repeat whatever their message or talking point of the day is, but they do so without questioning the policies or whether what theyre parroting is the truth. That harms the nation.