Meet my neighbor
I often browse the letters to the editor section of the San Antonio Express News and find them quite disturbing revealing. Consider the following:
MySA.com: Letters to the Editor
Media now too powerfulThe enormous influence and power of the American mass media have never been more on display than during the presidency of George W. Bush. The media have unrelentingly continued to bash and dissect our government and the Bush presidency.
Hiding behind our First Amendment, the media, in their self-proclaimed wisdom, have grown into a dangerous political monster with practically absolute powers, doing more harm to our people and our country than our foreign enemies that yearn to destroy us.
It is said that a free media is essential for a true democracy to prosper, but a democracy that concedes absolute power to the media is doomed.
Notice the actual accusations against the media. It has continued to “bash and dissect our government and the Bush presidency.” The media isn’t accused of actually lying about our government. Apparently, its danger to our country is that it criticizes our government and reveals how our government and president actually function.
In other words, the media doesn’t say what certain elements of the government thinks it should be saying. It reports the truth. Therefore, the media has practically absolute powers.
Apparently the writer believes that it would be safer for democracy if the truth wasn’t widely known. We should believe whatever the government tells us.
Given that the person presumably pays attention to the news since she actually sent a letter to the paper, you have to wonder about the effectiveness of the “absolute” press and why it even bothers.
Technorati Tags: San Antonio Express News, Free Press, Democracy, absolute power
Filed under: San Antonio Express News, absolute power, democracy, free press
