Time to Think

Journalists and Politicians #311

By Hank Silverberg

Commentary

The growing plethora of partisan "news" agencies and the growing number of news deserts across the country have combined to take away one of the major roles of journalists--as a balance against secretive government or unresponsive elected officials.

(The 1st Amendment)

On the national scene, cable and streaming on the internet has allowed just about anyone to claim to be a journalist, even though they do not know the rules of journalism or the non-partisan nature of the traditional profession.

Real journalists, those trained in the profession and dedicated to nonpartisan reporting, need to better define who they are and why they exist.

Meanwhile, in small towns and large sparsely populated counties almost everywhere, local government pretty much does whatever those elected to office want without public scrutiny or transparency, and are often influenced by small groups of activists with self interst in focus. There are no newspapers or radio stations with journalists who are watching them, and big city TV stations aren't around.

The public often gets lost in arguments over small issues like unisex bathrooms or girls playing on boys sports teams instead of focusing on the big picture, like war and peace or how their tax dollars are really being spent on special interests with influence. The size of government is really not the main problem. It's the lack of transparency that may be destroying us one day at a time.

There are still some newspapers and small market broadcasters which are trying hard to report on small town government, crime or education, but they often run into politicians or law enforcement who no longer feel that talking to the press is part of their job. (It IS!) And in some cases they go out of their way to keep reporters away from the decisions on schools, taxes and public safety. This allows them to do whatever they want with no consequences.

In the best of worlds, journalists report the actions of government at all levels, questioning the process and motivation for ANY action. It's their job to relay that information to the general public so the voters can make informed decisions at election time and choose someone who has the majority interests in mind, while protecting the minority.

"Who, what, when, where, why, how and how much" was the way I was taught to be a reporter. Today, ask any of those questions of politicians anywhere and they will try to avoid it, or they will ask you what political party you are in, or what's your motivation for asking, or why should they even have to answer the question.

Getting routine informaiton like what is in the budget, or how much is spent on the police force or why they changed the school curriculum is often met with resistance and occasional threats.

To bastardize Shakespere, something is rotten in the United States when a simple question is asked to our leaders and we get ignored or yelled at or even attacked.

It will be interesting to see if this gets worse now that a national regime takes control with a president who has called journalists "the enemy of the people"-- a phrase he borrowed from Stalin.

Journalists, reporters, producers, editors are not your enemy. They are the watchdogs of public discourse. It's why they exist in a free society and if you truly care about your community, your future and those of your children, you will help them and work with them.

Any resistance to their effort by those working for government or running for office should be met with more questions, more agressive persuit of the truth, not news deserts with no press.

It is what our Founding Fathers had in mind when the put freedom of the press in the FIRST admendment to the Constitution.

One last note to my brothers in the broadcasting industry. Partisan talking heads on cable TV or loud- mouth pontificators on the radio or a podcast is not journalism.

News You May Have Missed!

Have you heard about the "mini moon" that has been following Earth for the past few months? It's actually an asteroid described as a "harmless rock" that should be peeling away this week, pulled by the Sun's gravity.

It's only 33 feet in diameter, and NASA is using a radar antenna to observe it this week, trying to learn more about it. The going theory is that it is part of the Moon, which was hacked off by a crater- forming asteroid in the past. Technically, the little moon is not a moon because it's never been caught in Earth's gravity.

The astrophysicists who discovered it, two brothers from Spain, say it is currently two million miles away and too small to see without a powerful telescope.

It will pass within 1.1 million miles of Earth in January before it heads farther into the solar system in a horseshoe-like pattern. They say it won't return this way until 2055.

https://apnews.com/article/earth-mini-moon-adfb22fa82a01d168c1b663acf10eb92

Antisemitism Continues To Rise!

Anti-semitic incidents are growing around the world, mainly

because of the war between Israel and Hamas. The latest and most distressing incident occured in the United Arab Emirates where Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a member of the Hasidic Jewish movement, was murdered.

Three people have been arrested in connection to his death. Kogan had been in that country in an effort to expand the Chabad community in the UAE. There is a small Jewish community in the UAE where the first synagogue was just opened last year, and has now been closed for security reasons.

Kogan's wife is an American citizen. His uncle, Rabbi Gaviel Holtzerg, was killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Relations between the UAE had been good until the war in Gaza. It was the first prominent Arab nation to open relations with Israel in recent years.

In announcing the arrests, the UAE did not disclose the suspect's identities or possible affliations.

Dumbest Quote of The Week!

This week's dumb quote comes from Idaho Republican Senator Jim Risch, who is the ranking member on the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee.

He was speaking on Friday at the International Secruity Forum in Halifax, Canada. He was asked if Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth should retract his belief that men and women should not serve together in combat units.

Here's what Risch said:

“I think it’s delusional for anybody to not agree that women in combat creates certain unique situations that have to be dealt with. I think the jury’s still out on how to do that."

Women have been serving in various jobs in the U.S. military since it was created in the 18th Century. They had critical support roles in both World War One and World War Two, and have been eligible for almost all jobs in the military since 1994. Women were given full status in the military in 2015, and more than 280 women have died in combat since 1994.

Women today also serve in close proximity to men on 28 operational submarines.

Risch's comments are totally ridiculous. Women have made our armed forces better.

Want more proof? Ask the Israelis where women have served in combat roles since the founding of the country in 1948, and are playing an integral part in the war underway right now.

(You sugestions and comments are welcome)

My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)