Is the press as free as we think?

By Ryan Jenkins
Staff Writer

Greetings fellow citizens of the land of the free, home of the brave, dwelling place of God, and civilization of righteousness! Hopefully the overly patriotic opening will get this by the editors.

Recently the international group known as Reporters without Borders published their “World Press Freedom Ranking” It may surprise many of you that the United States ranks 22nd in the world. We’re not the 22nd nation, however, since there are several ties above us, including an 8-way tie for number 1.

You have to get the news, though, without angering the wrong people or your invitation to the next press conference might be lost. There are a number of ways those in power can punish news agencies without breaking the law. If a newspaper runs an advertisement for car companies, how likely is it to report on a major safety hazard stemming from shoddy workmanship in a new line of cars? In the event they do report it, it is likely to be full of vague phrases and on a back page where no one is likely to read it.

Politically some newspapers are afraid that if they report the truth they’ll be branded as liberal propaganda. Anyone who did background research knows that the news did a horrible job of checking politician’s facts and correcting them in the last election. If the job of the press is to be a watch dog, then for God’s sakes tell people when politicians are lying! It’s not that hard, really, I promise.

Conservative sources have their place, but honestly, when Bill O’Reilly goes on national television to apologize for supporting the war in Iraq and lying to the American people, you’d think people would realize that maybe this isn’t the most unbiased or honest source.

During the War on Iraq, there was a scandal over a picture of coffins of American soldiers killed in action. Why was that a big deal? If you really believed in this war, you’d have no problem sending your son, daughter, or yourself off to die for it. That’s what real belief is. Why can’t we show a picture? I’m fairly certain most of us know that people tend to die in war. It’s completely against journalistic ethics to hide the truth because it’s not something people want to hear.

I’m often told I’m still upset about the election. This isn’t true. I’m absolutely horrified beyond belief. Anytime the phrase intellectual elite is an insult and politicians can win based on religion and moral values when we’re a nation at War and in the middle of an economic slump, you would think that the press would act, the sacred press whose freedom the Founders felt was as important as that of religion would do something.

They did do something. They printed a minor story in the back of the day’s paper. The press failed us.