Brain Droppings: On Freedom of the Press

photo: F LoBuono

I just watched a very disturbing video on CNN. It was from reporter Arwa Damon and her crew as they were attempting to file a report from Kirdasa, Egypt. The story was focused on the town and earlier reports that the town's people had overrun the police station and forced the pro-Mubarak police force to flee for their lives. Reportedly, 5 civilians were killed in the fierce clashes between the townspeople and the police. Kirdasa had long been sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood and a hot bed of anti-Mubarak activity.

The report starts with a local doctor and town leader explaining to Ms. Damon what had transpired in the days leading up to the storming of the police station. He offers to lead Damon and her crew to the site of the police station when another man enters the picture and the discussion. He is obviously aggressively seeking information as to the reason for the news crew's presence. The doctor reassures him that they are there just seeking to tell the story of what actually happened that day. They continue towards the police station. Suddenly, as they near the site, 2 women in hijabs aggressively approach the crew, demanding to know what they are doing there. The scene quickly turns ugly. One woman puts here hand on the camera lens, demanding that he stop videotaping immediately. Before he does, though, he manages to record just enough video to show the crowd, now VERY agitated, forcefully pushing the reporter and crew back from the town square. The crew ran for their lives back to their vehicle which was subsequently pounded on by the angry mob. The crew could not figure out what they could have done or said to have had the mood and crowd change so suddenly, and with such vitriol.

As they were speeding out of town, a car with "friendlies" from the village caught up with them to try to explain. It seems that the man who had originally approached them at the beginning of the story to inquire as to their purpose there, was a member of Mubarak's secret police. He was deliberately planted there to spread lies about the American media and discredit their efforts to tell the story of what is actually happening in Egypt. He told the townspeople that Americans were really there to take over Egypt. He was also telling them that women with news crews were sent to tempt and bed their young men! Now, in a conservative Muslim country and a small town where most people are uneducated, this is a big deal.

There are two points to be made here. The first is the down-right dishonesty of the Mubarak regime. He has been spreading lies and disharmony among the Egyptian people since he took office 30 years ago. And he was still trying as he desperately tried to hang on to his sad and corrupt legacy.

The second, and the point I would like to elaborate on in more detail, is the need for a free press. It is absolutely essential in EVERY FREE SOCIETY to have a free and totally unencumbered press. We rely on the media to be the eyes and ears of the people. We count on them to discover the truth behind any story or event. This is often done at great peril to the people who bring us the news. The list of names of journalists who have given there lives in the pursuit of this lofty goal is long and distinguished. Without a free press, despots around the world, like Murbarak, are allowed to terrorize their own people by spreading fears through lies and misinformation.

In our country, the level of intimidation is certainly not that of what we have been seeing in Egypt. But it is there. Sometimes it can be obvious. But, more often, it is subtle. ALL politicians and administrations on ALL levels aim to control the message. It's how the game is played. In fact, the interaction between the press and the government is a constant game of cat and mouse, with each taking turns as the cat or the mouse. It's the job of the media to know how to separate the truth from the bull shit, as both are thrown at you, often simultaneously. Every real journalist strives to achieve this through the unspoken pledge of impartiality.

But, to a certain degree, impartiality is a myth. Impartiality, in the eyes of most people and as it applies to journalism, is often confused for infallibility. By definition, they are not the same and people should not apply them equally in this case. The journalists that I know, work with, and respect, all do their best to tell stories that their fact seeking has led them to. This can involve lots of research and do-diligence. However, as human beings, again by definition, we are not infallible creatures. Therefore, mistakes can be made. This, however, should not be taken for bias. It's not the same.

Also, because we are human, it is NOT possible to tell a good story without some bias. But this is unavoidable. The story MUST be told from certain point of view with the producer's and reporter's research and investigation providing the back bone of that POV. This may be seen as bias but, in the real sense, it's not. Think about it. How can anyone tell a story without a POV? The story MUST come to some conclusion. (Even this one will - eventually!) It literally cannot be told without one!

I have many a heated discussion with people on FB and other forums who constantly bash the liberal media. Well, being in the business, I don't see it in that light. In my world, I don't see journalists who deliberately set out to tell a story one way or the other. We approach every story with an eye towards the truth. Based on our fact finding, this may lead in a particular direction. Once that direction is established, you build your story around it. This provides the structure of basic story telling, no matter what form you use to tell it. Why that should be interpreted as liberal bias, I'm not sure. And none of my media bashing friends have adequately explained that to me, either. Well, here is your opportunity and forum to do so!

All public professions need to be scrutinized by a unblinking eye. It keeps them honest. However, beware to keep scrutiny from becoming suppression. One need only to look at Egypt on TV now to have learned that lesson.