No Longer Professionals In Journalism

No Longer Professionals In Journalism

Friday, CNN’s Analysist Chris Cillizza, ran a story about an off-handed, (quite a callous remark) reportedly made by a Whitehouse staffer in one of their daily meetings. This is not meant to single out CNN alone, all mainstream media outlets are guilty of this breach of public trust. But…

Here is a link to an excerpt from their website: CNN May 10, 2018...

(CNN)On Thursday morning, a White House aide named Kelly Sadler joked about Sen. John McCain's opposition to CIA nominee Gina Haspel by noting that "he's dying anyway."

It was the latest in a series of increasingly nasty comments about McCain: Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, called it "ridiculous" that McCain wasn't planning to invite President Donald Trump to his funeral while a retired general on Fox News on Thursday referred to a debunked conspiracy theory that McCain had informed on his comrades while a prisoner of war during Vietnam.

There's no disputing the fact that McCain has terminal brain cancer and that he is very unlikely to be around at this time next year. It's also indisputable that McCain is a genuine American hero -- who fought and suffered for his country in the theater of war and had decided the better part of the last four decades of his life to public service as a House member, a senator and a two-time presidential candidate.

Without regard for CNN's poor copy-editing, Here is my observation of mainstream News these days, this story is an example of what was once called “Yellow Journalism” an American term for tainted journalism in associated newspapers and other news outlets that provide no legitimate news. Opting instead to publish and broadcast inflammatory headlines for the sole purpose of increased sales. These techniques include exaggerations, scandal-mongering, misrepresenting quotes and sensationalism.

“CNN” and every “News Outlet” that carried this story is guilty of unprofessional and unethical journalism. There is zero value in reporting this comment; it did not happen in a public meeting or forum, it was not part of any official statement or report, it did not represent a change of status, doctrine, or policy.

The comment was a flippant, off-handed, disrespectful remark made in private. But it was not made to Senator McCain or any member of his family. It did not become hateful or hurtful until CNN and others started using the comment to make money. The fact that these news agencies pay participants from government meetings to provide these kinds of insider dirt is the lowest form of bottom-feeding scum ever presented to the public in the guise of “News.”

This story and others like it have no value to the public; it only inflames discord, promotes bigotry, and takes up space in the news cycle that could otherwise provide information we need to build condenses about real issues confronting our very existence.

Shame on these hacks that call themselves reporters and the editors that demand this type of reporting.

So, the question is how do we fix it? Writing.com can make a difference. There are on average, one-thousand, out of the nearly two million registered writers logged in on our site at any given moment. The answer is for us to call for an end to this type of news.

No matter your personal political views, write to the Marketing Directors of the companies, advertising during these News programs and demand they stop promoting and supporting this type of Gossip Mongering. I promise, if they received enough mail to represent a possible impact on market share, the news printed and broadcast into our homes would change.

We have the power to make a difference in the world. If only one in a hundred of our membership, wrote a single letter, the impact of the Writing.com voice could be every bit as compelling the NRA, AARP or any of the other big acronyms lobbying in the world.