Open Letter to the Media

What are you doing??

When I grew up, we could count on the “News” to give us up-to-date information about the world around us. We looked forward to the news. We felt more intelligent when the news was over. Now, I feel dirty after watching the news, so what happened?

24/7 news happened. Now, you have to find something to fill all of the time in the day with “news”. Even though you repeat the same things over and over and over, you think the news has to be “fun”, “exciting”, entertainment.

But that’s not your job! Your job is to inform your viewers of what is happening. You are supposed to alert them to potential dangers, let them know when things are OK, and tell them what weather they will be experiencing tomorrow. You are supposed to prepare Americans for the most important task an American has – voting, and protect them from potential harm.

The American People don’t need blood and gore, and political strife to get through their day. They need, and want, facts. They don’t want to be bombarded with all the ugliness of the world 24/7/365. They need relief! The depression rates are soaring in our country. Sadly, the media is responsible for a LOT of this. The media is causing confusion, distrust, inflaming bigotry, and stirring up anger, even hatred. Give us some good news. Show us Love still abounds.

Do you know what people need? Civics lessons! Constitution lessons! That’s right! Why not become the best thing that could happen to the American People by teaching them how their government works. Instead of letting politicians, who have only their own interests at heart, explain their side of an issue, inform the people of what the issue really is. What is the current law? How are they trying to change it? How will it affect Americans?  Give us numbers, comparisons, examples! Why not make Americans informed voters? Why not quiz politicians about their knowledge of their job? And bring it to everyone’s attention when they contradict their words with their voting. Why not tell the people how their representatives voted on an issue. (And explain the excess BS that was added to the issue that might make a person vote the way they did)  You, the Media, could help Americans understand their government, vote intelligently, and keep government from voting against the best interests of our nation. You could be the Heroes, instead of the Jerks.

I am sick of the First Amendment being used as an “excuse” for lying to the American Public. How Dare You! In the meantime, you have helped to build a wall between Americans. You have denied us the truth, so that most people no longer know what the truth is!

You think this is what the American People want?? NO!!

I think that I speak for the majority of Americans when I say that we are sick of being manipulated by the media! We want Truth! We want Facts! We want Reality! (And I don’t mean like reality shows, either)

Whatever happened to ethics in journalism? That used to be a big thing, both for the reporter, and the interviewee. I was surprised to see that the Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) still has a code of ethics. So, my question is: Who follows them? 

Here is the Preamble to the SPJ code of ethics:

Preamble

Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.

I encourage people to read the entire link I have provided, however, here are the basic tenets of the code:

ü        Seek Truth & Report it

ü        Minimize Harm

ü        Act Independently

ü        Be Accountable

How many of our News media actually follow those ethics today?  Sadly, it appears that all of the television, and many of the print and radio, are failing society.  You aren’t news anymore. You are cheap attempts at entertainment at the expense of the reputation of individuals and the loss of Truth to the American Public.

I remember when the evening “News” would have editorials. At that time, there had to be a “disclaimer” at the beginning and ending of that portion to notify people that this was opinion only.  Today everything we hear is opinion, or fabricated BS, or manipulated “clips”.  While it has become harder and harder to sue the industry for defamation, slander, or libel, there are more and more cases where the media should be sued. 

I realize that today’s society wants “instant” everything. Truth doesn’t come in 30 second sound bites. But why feed them with it? Why not be the leaders in integrity, truth, and ethics? Why would you allow your industry to become a laughingstock to the world? Why would anyone want to mislead their own country? Why would you lie to your fellow Americans? Why would the entire “news” media become sources of propaganda?

I have a daughter who was in Forensics (Debate) in high school. I remember one night she came home from a competition and she was furious. When I asked her what went wrong, she explained that the information they had used had come from the local paper, and the National Forensics said that our local paper was not considered “reliable sources of information”.  Why? Because the Daily Oklahoman (better known as the Joke-lahoman) was biased.  Imagine these young people’s surprise, and disappointment, that their local paper was not considered reliable! They were devastated! From that point on, they had to spend more time at the library (finding distant sources) to research, because they couldn’t count on their own local media to give them acceptably unbiased, honest information!!

I would be willing to bet that if one News station/Newspaper, came out for the TRUTH, and backed themselves up with proof of their honesty, they could become heroes to the American People. I believe, once they had proven themselves, they would have the highest ratings. There is a series called the Newsroom, which portrays a newsgroup that demands integrity and ethics. Why can’t America’s news be like that again?

You, the News Media should be where we go to learn the truth about our candidates. Where we know what our government is doing for, or against us. You should be providing us with insight into new technologies, new medical advancements, weather conditions, election results, local news, and human interest stories. When you make a mistake, it should be even more prominently displayed than the mistake. You should be accountable for your mistakes, and make sure that everyone that heard the wrong information hears the truth. A “News” channel, if having talk shows, should strive for the same things. I am sick of hearing “forums” or “panels” that sit around and allow lies to be told. Whatever information is presented on a 24 hour news channel should be held to the strictest rules of journalistic ethics. If a politician, clergyman, local sports star, commentator lies (or makes a statement that is not true) they should be required to apologize and make the correction (and if they refuse, should never be interviewed again, and the media will correct their falsehood). When people are interviewed, you should tell them that if their information turns out false, they will be expected to correct it (or it will be corrected without them if they refuse). And if you can’t tell the truth, there should be a banner clearly scrolling along the bottom, through the entire session, stating that it is opinion or satire.
News and Fantasy are supposed to be worlds apart, and yet, YOU, OUR MEDIA have combined them into one format, and called it “News”.

 I, for one, am sadly disappointed in you.

An Open Letter to Explain My Political Views

Something I would like my friends to understand

Please read to the end of this so that you can understand me. You cannot read only part of this and truly understand it

This past 2012 election has seen many people calling each other names, and being very rude and nasty to close friends that do not agree with their political views. Please note: When I mention Left of Right, Democrat or Republican, I am aware that there are exceptions in all areas.

 I would like to share why I am registered as a Democrat:
1. I am a Christian. I know, this sounds contradictory to many of you, but let me explain:
     I am a born again Christian. I try to live my life by the Bible. Matthew 7 says, "Judge not, that ye may be not judged." That means that I have no right in telling others how they should live their lives, and I have no right to ask my government to legislate morality, either. I believe that you witness by actions and words, not by forcing people. If my actions and my Joy cannot convince a person that they want what I have, then I am doing something wrong. I see too many people in the Republican Party doing exactly the opposite. They are cramming their beliefs down people's throats, and then get mad when it doesn't work. When you read the rest of the verse " 2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.…" So, the more harshly we judge others, the more harshly we will be judged,

2. I know that our country was created by people who came to this land to seek religious freedom. That should not only include Christians. I cannot tell a person that My God is a loving man, that Jesus gave his life for all of us, and then be hateful to that person. If we are supposed to do as Jesus would, then we must accept these people for who they are. We should love them, as we love ourselves. Their religion, their color, their socioeconomic background, and their education should make no difference. If I cannot love my neighbors, I do not deserve to be loved.
There is supposed to be a separation between church and state. Churches are tax exempt, with the understanding that they are to stay out of politics. If a church cannot stay out of politics, then they should pay taxes.  Also, I feel that Christians have no more rights to telling others how to live than do Muslims, Jews, or Atheists.


3.  On abortion: I am against abortion, but I cannot, in good conscience, ask another woman to carry a child for 9 months, with the costs, and possible medical complications (yes, there are MANY) that this woman has to bear. If I don't have the money to provide for all her medical needs, and am not willing to adopt that child, or know I can find a good home for it, then I have no right to tell her that she MUST have that child. Having worked with emotionally disturbed children, I know what happens to children whose mother did not want them.
     Also, abortion is legal. The chances of it being overturned are small, and considering how many people are Pro-Choice, the odds of a Constitutional Amendment passing are slim to none.  If we want to stop abortion, we could do more good by being loving and understanding of women who are considering it. Education and birth control can help, too. Being self-righteous and condemning helps no one.

4. I am Pro-Life.  Many of you that claim you are Pro-Life, are kidding yourselves. You are Anti-Abortion, NOT Pro-Life.  Pro-Life would be a person who abhors any killing. That means you would have to be anti-abortion, anti-death penalty, and against war. Recently, when I asked how anyone can call themselves Pro-Life, and still believe in the Death Penalty, I was told, "because one is innocent, one is not."  Excuse me????  I have done research, and found more than 42 men and women who have been executed by our government since 1900, who were INNOCENT!!!!!  And, I found over 300 people sentenced to death who were later found innocent! (This was only up until 2002; there have been more since then). So much for the innocence argument. It is more expensive to execute a person than it is to keep them in jail for life. Plus, if you are truly Christian, it gives you more time to save this person's soul.

5. I believe in the power of LOVE! Today's many channels allow you to see many different views. I have watched the "right-leaning" channels, and the "left-leaning" channels. I listen to all these talk show hosts, and, sorry, but the Right has Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and many others. The things I hear offend me!!!  I will not listen to people spew hate and anger constantly. I believe that you are what you live, and if you live with this kind of anger and hatred pouring in to your ears, it will enter your heart. Yes, there is some anger on the Left, but I find more laughter because they are more likely to point out stupidity than anger. The difference between the Right and the Left is that the Left can laugh at things. The Right is so hung up on being Correct, and Self-Righteous, that they are filled with anger when ANYONE even suggests that they may be wrong.

6.  I believe in the TRUTH. When I hear News, I check it out! I will not accept one or even two sources as Gospel! The Right actually believes that Fox is a News channel. I am sorry to tell you, they went to court; they won against an employee that sued them for insisting she lie. They won because their argument was that they are NOT a news station, they are ENTERTAINMENT!!!!! So, the Right prefers Entertainment over the TRUTH!!!!  I am confused, the Bible is considered the Truth and the Light, and yet you get your Truth from a channel that admits they are not news. They are not held to the ethical standards of NEWS! They do not check their sources. Most of their sources are their imagination, misquotes, and right leaning blogs. Do you know what a blog is???? Someone's opinion!!!!!!! That, dear friends, is not NEWS!
     When I have tried to correct misinformation on Face book, I have been cursed, told to shut up, and called ignorant. Funny, this only happened when I corrected Republican rhetoric. I corrected Liberal rhetoric, and people THANKED me!!!!!   See the difference????

7.  I WILL Respect OUR President! Since Obama took office I have been embarrassed and ashamed by the way so many people have treated him. He is OUR President! He was voted into office by MORE than HALF the voters of our country, and has earned the respect of the office. People call President Obama "boy", "nigger", "socialist", "not legitimate", etc, they say he wasn't born in the United States, and doesn't deserve to be President. They say that his birth certificate is fake. Be honest and ask yourself. . .  if he was WHITE, would you say such things?  If you answer honestly, you would probably have to say no. The Republican Party is full of bigots! If you aren't one, I am sorry, but you are judged by those you associate with.  We have had a governor point her finger in his face (she should have been arrested by the Secret Service, in my opinion). This man KNOWS what people say about him and yet he still wants to help our country. Imagine how his children feel!!!! What would you do if your child came home saying that people had said hateful things about you?????????

8. I believe in Democracy. I understand that my candidate will not always be the winner, and I am willing to accept that. My candidate has not always been the winner. I would not dream of threatening revolution, assassinating the President, or some other stupid threat.  If it means that much to you, tell your party what you think will make them a better party. Better yet, ask your Liberal friends what would make them come to the Republican side. And, if you cannot respect our President, maybe you should leave the country. I respected the ones you elected. We survived and I was right about some of them being bad for our country. Your 'side' has made mistakes, you know.

9. I believe in government regulations. I see too many drugs being recalled because of leniency. We have had numerous outbreaks of salmonella and e coli because of poor farming practices or packaging. We have banks cheating people. We have a Stock Market full of manipulators who run stocks up just to make profits for a few. We have oil companies that destroy our environment, pollute our water, and you don't want them to clean up?  We have corruption in local government, and yes, in big government, too, sometimes, but we have the laws available to bring these people to justice. Are some laws stupid? Yes. Are some laws out of date? Yes. But, We the People can change that, if we take the time and the effort to do so. If we can stop fighting about abortion, and move on, we can get a lot done. If we demand that our politicians get along, and do their job, we can accomplish more.

We are the ONE COUNTRY in the WORLD, where people watch to see what we do, and want to be like us. What kind of an example have we shown the rest of the world this week? Would you want a foreigner to see your Face book pages the past few weeks?  Have you shown them that we are truly THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?  Did you know that practically every U.S. Embassy in the world had Election night parties, where people learned about the ways of a Democracy, viewed sample ballots, and then watched our election results come in??? Did you know, that with the exception of Pakistan and Iran, EVERY country was praying for Obama to win????? No, it was not because he is Black. It is because they like him!!!! He is a compassionate man, and if they had the chance, they would have voted for him!!! Many actually were terrified of Romney winning. He did not make friends when he visited countries.

10. I believe in the right to vote. EVERYONE that is eligible, not just my party. The Republicans and the Tea Party did everything they could to try to prevent people from voting. I, personally think that anyone that tried to prevent even one person from voting should have their voting rights taken away. Shame on them!

11.  I believe in progress. I think science and technology should be used to find a cure for cancer, AIDS, diabetes, arthritis, Autoimmune Diseases, heart disease, and all the other things that ail us.  I think we should look to the future. We can't go back and fix things already done, we must move on. Remember??? Let Go, Let God!!!!!  But a little science would help. You may not believe in global warming, but let's face it our climate is changing!!!!! Look at Sandy!!
Progress means looking forward. We will get nowhere looking back, except to see where we made mistakes. You remember the 50s and 60s fondly? Seriously? When we had McCarthyism and the Red Scare? When people built bomb shelters? When there was "free love", LSD? When segregation was the norm?

12.  I believe in giving a hand up. I know that people fall down. There is nothing wrong with helping them up. Most states have limits on TANF, Food Stamps, etc. If there are any that don't, they need to change the way they handle the system.  Why are Republicans so unwilling to help people get back on their feet, and yet  think it is OK for people who are well-off to get extra tax breaks, have more loopholes, and lower interest rates.

13. I believe that education is the most important thing we can give to our children and grandchildren. Are you aware, that the states that repeatedly elect Republican Representatives and Congressmen have the highest teen pregnancy rates, and lowest education scores of all schools?  Per capita spending for school is lowest in the 'red' states. Personal income is lowest in the 'red' states. There are fewer college graduates in the 'red' states.   What does that tell you about the Republican Party? That they are more interested in corporate interests than our young people?????

14. I am not STUCK in a party. I went "red" and changed back. However, only twice, since 1972, have I voted straight party. Being a Democrat does not mean I cannot vote Republican. It only means that I vote for Democrats during the primaries. No one should vote straight party. That is a cop out. Everyone should learn what each candidate stands for, and vote accordingly. Your ballot is secret. Facebook isn't.

Most Republicans that I know are Christians, and yet they claim that Obama's win is "the end" of the U.S. They all prayed for days for the election. If you were one of the Millions that prayed for our Country for the last month, or more, how can you be upset that Obama won? We all know that God answers prayers. We also know that sometimes God's answer is 'not now', and sometimes, it is "yes, but not the way you think!"  So, if you are a Christian, stop listening to Fox News and the Right Wing, listen to God. He is telling you that He is still in power, and obviously knows more than you do!

BTW - The polls were right, Fox was wrong, Sandy did not win the presidency for Obama, and the American people proved you can't buy the presidency!!!  Also, Obama IS a Christian, He IS a Natural American Citizen, He is NOT a Socialist or Fascist, and he IS Human, with feelings. If you want this to be a Great United States, stand behind him, help him, make sure your representatives work with him, and make our country great again. American Pride should be for all 300,000,000+ people of the U.S. not just half of them!

Please understand, these are MY feelings, and My views. If I have mentioned statistics or facts, they are supported by reliable information.
I simply want my friends to understand why I voted the way I did, and ask all of you to try to get along, and look at both sides of issues, to stop the innuendos, and try to accept the results, like Democrats had to in 2000 and 2004.