Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Watchdogs of the Press

Concerning the latest distraction (the one involving Representative Wiener), Glenn Greenwald hits it squarely on the nose:
There are few things more sickening -- or revealing -- to behold than a D.C. sex scandal. Huge numbers of people prance around flamboyantly condemning behavior in which they themselves routinely engage. Media stars contrive all sorts of high-minded justifications for luxuriating in every last dirty detail, when nothing is more obvious than that their only real interest is vicarious titillation. Reporters who would never dare challenge powerful political figures who torture, illegally eavesdrop, wage illegal wars or feed at the trough of sleazy legalized bribery suddenly walk upright -- like proud peacocks with their feathers extended -- pretending to be hard-core adversarial journalists as they collectively kick a sexually humiliated figure stripped of all importance. The ritual is as nauseating as it is predictable.
[Emphasis added by me.]
Truly, today's press is a fourth branch of government ... dutifully carrying water for the other three.

3 comments:

Mimi said...

So true, Jim, and I think the disgusting coverage of the murder of a little girl is even worse. I hear people discuss this as if it's a t.v. show or something. Yet, horrible as that crime is, there are other children being slaughtered by our brutality every day. When will the reporters give them as much attention? To ask that question is to answer it, I'm afraid.

lemming said...

Am I the only one to notice that female members of Congress never get into such scandals? Aides, sure, assistants, sure, but never the Reps or Sens - ?

Phil Marx said...

Which leads one to question...

Is it better morals that keeps them from doing these things?

Or is it better brains that just keeps them from getting caught?