A Fair Media (10/5/04)
by Dean Hartwell
Recently, the head of my county’s Democratic Party came to speak to my local Democratic club. He told us several fascinating facts, among them that the Navy had said that John Kerry had received all of his Viet Nam medals legitimately. Given the attacks on Kerry by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and others on the subject of his medals, this news was quite a revelation.
Unfortunately, I was unable to ask him where he got this information. So, I went home to find this news in the mainstream media. After some time searching, I realized I was out of luck. None of the radio, television, newspaper or Internet sources reported it.
I then did what I recommend everyone do if they think the mass media has missed something: I checked alternative news sources.
Media Matters for America reported that the Navy had recently stated that Kerry’s medals in Viet Nam were “properly approved” (Source: Media Matters 9/20/04 - "Novak Misrepresented IG's Finding...").
This media sin of omission has taken place on other recent occasions. Both times I got the story on alternative news sources after some effort.
In one case, the mainstream media portrayed Kerry as the recipient of Bush attacks (Sources: The Guardian - "Kerry Fights off Attacks in Swing States", Detroit Free Press - "Kerry Fights Back on Vietnam", Christian Science Monitor - "Bush Goes on Offense") and implied it never happened the other way around. I contacted a source close to the Kerry campaign and related my fears to them.
The source told me that Kerry had been putting Bush on the defensive. For some reason, the mass media had not reported it. I looked to Air America and found the following link which had a story in which Senator Kerry accused President Bush of losing the United States’ moral authority: The Boston Globe - "Kerry Says US Has Lost Its Moral Authority"
I went to a third source, Democracy Now, and noticed some articles on issues not discussed by the mainstream media. One dealt with allegations of U.S. abuse of prisoners in places besides Abu Gharib. I read the stunning accusations on Democracy Now - "Widespread Torture of Iraqi Prisoners Feared..."
What’s wrong with this picture?
The major media should have run these stories themselves. There was a time when they would have been required to run stories from different viewpoints. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ensured that “all coverage of controversial issues be balanced and fair” (Source: Fairness Doctrine).
The FCC made this standard of publishing both sides of a story its policy in 1949. However, in 1987, a court case, Meredith Corp. v. FCC, held that the FCC did not have to continue to enforce the policy. The FCC abandoned the Fairness Doctrine that year and congressional efforts to revive it were frustrated by President Reagan’s veto.
With the Fairness Doctrine in place, the mainstream media would have to provide balanced reporting. We would hear the stories the media currently misses more easily instead of struggling to find them. Congress, at its earliest opportunity, should bring back the Fairness Doctrine and make reporting fair once more.