Home > You gots to dance with the one what brung you: Embed Reporting

You gots to dance with the one what brung you: Embed Reporting

by Open-Publishing - Wednesday 8 March 2006
1 comment

Media-Network Wars and conflicts Governments

It is a sad fact of life in the media world that the major Networks, mainstream and cable,must of necessity have stringers,or what is currently labelled "embeds"...reporters whose job it is to spout the Administration’s drivel of the day.

At CNN (the only network I dare watch), Barbara Starr and Jamie McIntire (military) and Dana Bash (White House) are called upon by news anchors on a regular basis to shore up the Administration’s position,thus perpetuating the BIG LIE. It is done smoothly and often in a convincing fashion. But a lie is a lie is a lie....and those of us with an ounce of perspicacity note that these embeds ooze Right Wing complicity without shame.

In my opinion this isn’t honest journalism, it’s just another way to make a "safe" living. No real reporter with an ounce of self respect would refuse to speak truth to power. But these days money and job security trump legitimate,objective journalism.

I doubt these stringers engage in much introspection about the damage they’re doing on a daily basis, but one day soon they’re likely to be exposed for the frauds they are...and may find themselves out on the sidewalk scratching their respective heads and saying "Where did I go wrong?"

Forum posts

  • I really can’t blame the reporters if they are told by corporate chiefs about how to present the news. The reporters do it CNN’s way...or hit the highway. As a former journalist, I know most American reporters are left of center or close to centrists. That’s not the case with the board of directors or the CEO who hand down the orders on how the news is to be delivered.

    CNN allows just a few spokesmen (Jack Cafferty and Lou Dobbs come to mind) to speak their piece, in an attempt to show that the network is not "partican." But listeners know that the anchors are always tilting to the right, especially the wolfman, Blitzer, in the late afternoon and Dana Keagan, who is dating the "Oxyconton man," Rush Limbaugh, during mid-morning hours.

    I presume CNN feels they had to take a sharp right to compete with Faux, which is trouncing them in the ratings. But as long as most viewers have access to the Internet, they know what the hell is going on and can get the straight scoop from numerous overseas outlets or the blogs.