A rant

On the British newspaper The Independent’s homepage, there is currently a story entitled “Matthew Norman: How did this wastrel ever find his way to the White House? It takes a certain minimal intelligence for the truly dim to have a notion of their own dimness, but this is denied George Bush. He has the self-awareness of a bison”, about George Bush’s recently released memoir. The article doesn’t just blindly lash out at Bush; it carefully breaks down the message that Bush pushes in his book, putting it into a clearer perspective given what actually happened during Bush’s reign. Norman’s article, besides being a down to earth, honest piece of writing, is entertaining to read; it doesn’t seem like a faux-balanced “everybody is the same amount of right” suck up article.

Those articles are written instead by American news media. Recent articles in the New York Times, a paper frequently lampooned as a leftist propaganda rag, include “With Book, Bush Is Back in Spotlight” (a bland, insubstantial title that carefully avoids implications), “In Memoir, Bush Strikes back against Kanye West” (slightly more interesting, but still completely insubstantial), and “Bush Considered Dropping Cheney from 2004 Ticket” (this one is somewhat substantial, but still buries the lead beneath politeness). One would think that this, one of only a few newspapers in the US that still does a little bit of investigative reporting, would have the courage of conviction to tell the truth, but as always, they have proven that American news media is buried so far below the corporations that own them and the politicians who lead them around like dogs with “access” as the method of payment for loyal pets.

It’s pretty ironic, really, that the country that enshrined the freedom of press in its Bill of Rights, and was founded out of trying to get away from the stodgy, censored British system of government, would end up being the one in which journalists are afraid to take a stand. There was a reason that freedom of the press was included in the constitution; the framers were afraid that any single politician or political entity would be able to gain too much influence and power without the press to point out their flaws and lies. Unsurprisingly, in this time where the press has become so afraid and stuck in its ways, politicians are gradually accumulating more wealth and power, and spreading it around to their rich and powerful neighbors. A recent Supreme Court ruling allowed corporations to exert almost unlimited influence on elections, worsening the problem even more. Politicians are able to propagate lies with literally no repercussions electorally, and have passed enormous tax cuts for the richest Americans, while trying to cut off support for the lower classes. Wealth disparity is already at its highest levels in American history, but the media didn’t seem to notice. They’re too busy sucking up to politicians to worry about poor people. It’s no wonder the American newspaper business is dead.