Reporting on the Reporters - Rating the Media in Haiti & Massachusetts - The CPT Hall of Fame

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Let it not be said that those who report the news are not the news as that is one of the journalistic standards in this day and age of egocentric journalism. My stories often call attention to the violators of journalistic integrity disguised as our nation's news media, and the elitist media of major newspapers and television.

More often than not the elite reporters have agendas that checkmate their desire for objectivity, non-biased reporting or telling the story of the subject of the article. Such a mindset leads directly to the reporter judging rather than reporting on the person being discussed.

Another distraction from the truth for reporters of today is the intense pressure on them from bosses or peers to write books, once again essays in judgment and violations on the confidentiality of news sources for the purpose of creating celebrity status for the reporters. In the eyes of the newspaper or TV network such celebrity status translates to recognition, ratings and money.

Of course it is little different than the pressure put on university professors, especially scientists, who are viewed by the school administration as a revenue source more than a teaching instrument for kids. Often the grants brought in by these professors pay for the cost of the department or unit. It is an atmosphere for corruption as altered test results may make the difference between winning or losing millions of dollars.

In journalism, however, it never used to be that way until the reporter or TV anchor retired. No one ever wrote books while they were supposed to be reporting the news. When I was a reporter it was impossible to tell whether the seasoned old pros were Democrat or Republican, normally they were Independent, or how they felt on any topic. They reported the news, did not editorialize or inject bias into the stories.

Oh but for the good old days. Today most reporters are not like that. Once the press was highly respected and their writing was the protection of the people from corruption. The Fourth Estate, as I like to attribute to Edmund Burke in 1792 was the English reference to the press who covered the actions of the English government. In America the press was considered important enough to protect with the Bill of Rights and the shield of the Constitution.

Today the definition of press includes almost every kind of trash known to men along with a few good papers and TV programs. Thus reporters who seem to uphold the principles of our founding fathers are few and far between. Most are entertainers like the O'Rielly, Beck or Hannity of Fox News or Olbermann, Matthews, Schultz and Maddows of MSNBC.

While Fox dominates the ratings as conservatives must dominate in America where limited federal government and states rights have long been held sacred, none of those mentioned from the right and the left would ever be accused of objective reporting. As TV network news self-destructed over the past 30 years the audience has moved from the big boys to the cable news where the news of the world must be in sound bites and 2 minute stories. It also ceased being news and became entertainment.

Once in while I come across journalistic performances so foreign to our normal trash talk and sound bites that I must draw attention to these reporters as they may be the last of the endangered species and you should enjoy them while they exist.

Two major recent stories have resulted in new candidates for the Coltons Point Times "Who can you trust" news reporters Hall of Fame. The tragic earthquake in Haiti was the first in which the real news people stepped forward to tell the real story of what was going on in the rescue and recovery effort. I must say I was surprised and pleased to discover gems of reporting amongst the many people covering this disaster.



First and standing alone in superior reporting was Anderson Cooper of CNN, a network that at least tries to report the news and to remain somewhat unbiased. As a result few people watch the network except when in depth news is sought like in the case of Haiti. Cooper should earn a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage from being one of the first on the scene to his fearless travels to every nook and corner of the disaster.

His stories pointing out the flaws of the rescue and recovery efforts when the government officials were telling a different story probably saved many lives. He discovered medical facilities with no medicine first, mass burials with no identification of bodies, the failure to distribute food, water and medicine when it was sitting at the airport for days, and on and on.



When Cooper reports you get empathy, compassion, emotion and truth in doses not often seen in reporters and you just know he will not stop digging for information until he finds the truth. His stories told the horrors of the thousands of deaths, the potential for thousands more from untreated injuries, and the sad failure to search for the 100,000 or more trapped under the debris. Cooper and his 360 program on CNN are a must if you seek truth.



Most surprising to me was the addition of Doctor Sanjay Gupta also of CNN. May times before I had seen him but the seriousness of the stories were never much so I did not notice him. But in Haiti, he performed as no other using his skills as a medical reporter combined with his skills as a neurosurgeon to tell the story and save a life by treating victims he found.



One night when a Belgium hospital team abandoned patients on the operating table for fear of their own safety Sanjay stayed at the tent and spent all night treating the abandoned patients. His reporting deadlines were sacrificed while saving lives.

When Cooper and Sanjay did joint reports which they did often they were always humble while upset over the treatment of the victims. Very subtly they asked critical questions about the promises for help and the failure to deliver and many times their reports resulted in help arriving.



The third reporter deserving recognition for her Haiti performance was Ann Curry of the NBC Today program who was sent to the disaster and literally scoured the city from one end to the other with no regard for the danger to herself in order to make certain the true stories of the tragedy were broadcast on the Today show every morning. I must say Curry was also a pleasant surprise since I was so accustomed to the entertainment aspects of the morning news shows but now I know she has a great news presence.



In regards to the Massachusetts Senate race the coverage was generally lousy as the bias of reporters dominated their reports. Thus the right was overly rejoicing and the left was overly depressed. It does not occur to either of them that the Independents embrace neither the right or the left but the middle.

However, I have been watching the evolution of Savannah Guthrie of NBC and she came into her own recently when they made her co-host of a morning show on MSNBC, The Daily Rundown this year. Ever since she left a lucrative law practice to be a journalist she has been on a fast track spending about a year with Court TV, jumping to NBC, and soon becoming a White House correspondent with Chuck Todd.



I knew there was something about Savannah that made her special and it took a while to discover she was a Tucson, Arizona native who graduated with honors from the University of Arizona, my school, and Georgetown Law School. She was always first in everything. Unlike most network correspondents she seems to have no axe to grind and no political philosophy to advocate but actually reports the news as fair and unbiased as you will find.



The Los Angeles Times named her one of the top female entertainment personalities in the nation to watch in 2010 this past December, she ranked #3, and was the highest ranked from the news media. As long as MSNBC does not corrupt her and she seems far too strong for that to happen she is a delight to watch and a fountain of truth and information. Her new show is a must see.

So Ann Curry and Savannah Guthrie of NBC are the two newest additions to my very limited Hall of Fame along with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN. You should give them a try as they are rocketing to fame based on talent and truth.

Independents Win Massachusetts - Ominous Warning to Politicians

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When a Republican running as an Independent for John and Ted Kennedy's Senate seat can beat the Democrat endorsed by the Kennedy family and President Obama by over 100,000 votes, it is a landslide of historic proportions that should strike fear into the hearts of all politicians. So goes Scott Brown of Massachusetts in a stunning upset over Obama, health care, liberals and the old political guard.

Contrary to the views of the Democratic and Republican strategists, this was not a victory for the Republicans but a victory for all Americans. It was the clearest signal to date that our leaders in Washington, DC no longer can be trusted to lead, leaders of both political parties.



Our new president along with the Democratic controlled House and Senate and the Republican minority have blown it. People can see through the lies and smokescreens. They know exactly what goes on behind closed doors in our nation's capitol and they know the president, Pelosi, Reid and our elected representatives have sold out our government to special interests, and sold their souls to money.

A failure to recognize these signs will spell doom to all politicians who miss the point. America stands on the precipice of revolution, peaceful revolution, against politics, political parties, and a burgeoning bureaucracy whose secret agenda is self-preservation over the needs and wishes of the people. The people know it and the people, like a sleeping giant, have been aroused.

Unfortunately our politicians continue to drink the Potomac waters and believe they are superior to the people. Politicians believe they know what is best. They ignore warning signs and polls that prove we are a nation in discontent. In the past few weeks in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts the unrest could not be clearer and the politicians could not be more stupid in missing the signs.

Independent voters are forming unexpected alliances with disgruntled Democrats and Republicans and state by state they are throwing out the establishment candidates in favor of candidates who have no strings attached. This juggernaut will not be stopped by clever legislative manipulations, by born again policy decisions of our political parties or by the bold faced lies and half-truths from our politicians. No, it is too late to expect to fool the public all the time.

While the politicians and political analysts who make their money keeping the politicians in office repeat their mantra that we know what is best for Americans, and that the work of congress is too complicated to explain to Americans, the public has figured it out. The public knows that politicians who criticize banks while accepting hundreds of millions of dollars from banks for their campaigns have lost their morality.

When millions of dollars flow into leading politicians from the health care and insurance industries as the politicians complain about the spiraling cost of health care, the public knows the magnitude of the bribes being paid by the immoral politicians. The Washington establishment is based on need, greed and deception and the masters at the game are no longer invisible to the people.



The principles of our great nation have been compromised by the greed of our politicians. Just look at the record of the Majority Leader of the House, Steny Hoyer, as he stands behind the president and castigates the banks, health care, pharmaceutical and insurance industries. He says one thing to the public, but behind the closed doors of Congress with the special interests and lobbyists inside look what happens to our protector from the bad boys of industry.

Top industry contributors to Hoyer's campaign committees are Lawyers, Lobbyists, Health Professionals, Electric Utilities, Real Estate, Insurance, Securities, Investments, Banks, Pharmaceuticals, Hospitals/Nursing Homes and Unions, a total of over $13 million for 2010 already. Now that covers most industries he calls the bad boys and to see just how extensive his support is from these industries take just the banks. He has received money from Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Citigroup and Credit Suisse among many others.



He attacks the banks but approves the bailouts. Then approves the insurance bailout while attacking healthcare costs, yet rakes in big bucks from the very industries he attacks. What do these industries know that the public does not know? Why are they pouring money into someone who attacks them? Does it have anything to do with the fact there is no prosecution of the crooks or changes in the regulation of the industries or does it mean they are being protected in other ways?

These are samples of the reason the people have had it with the old political guard in Washington. Elected officials are in bed with the enemy, have forgotten the meaning of truth and integrity, and continue to attempt to deceive the public. Hoyer is a protector of Wall Street and a protector of those who increase the cost of health care just like many other elected officials are and will remain. Money for campaigns, especially when it totals millions of dollars, come with a price tag and we have leaders too willing to pay the price.



That is why people do not trust politicians. That is why being a Washington insider may very well be the kiss of death to their careers. That is why America is controlled by special interests and lobbyists. That is why government aid goes to Wall Street, unions and special interests and not to the needs of the people. That is why the revolution of independents may well be the salvation of our nation.

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Obama To Face Another Defeat - How Will He React?

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With the White House positioning itself to blame everyone but themselves for the potential defeat in the Massachusetts Senate race for Ted Kennedy's seat, a continuation of the hard line bully mentality of the Rahm Emanuel school of political fisticuffs, America waits to see if our young and inexperienced president finally learns his lesson or is willing to let his entire presidency go up in flames.



Today's election has all the potential to be not a cliffhanger but an avalanche in favor of the Republican candidate who will win because he ran as an independent, not a Republican. The race between the once invincible Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican outsider Scott Brown is a classic textbook example of political arrogance and presidential indifference driving the prohibitive favorite Coakley into one of the greatest last minute campaign collapses in political history.



However, the signs were there since the Virginia and New Jersey governors races last November when the White House tried to interfere in local races and got trounced. It seems the boys at Pennsylvania Avenue just don't get it. The people of America, be they Democrat, Republican or Independent, are not going to stand by and let some rookies in the White House drive America into self-destruction with some pie in the sky view of what is best for the people.

Deficits, the economy, honesty and truth still are held sacred in this country and the Obama gang has lost sight of all of them. No, Mr. President, this is not your nation but of the people, by the people and for the people. When you made your last minute trip to Massachusetts to salvage your sputtering candidate you made, once again, a huge mistake.

The speech was peppered with "I" and "We" know what is best for you. It was condescending at best, arrogant at worst, and delivered as an elitist professor bored with teaching who is intent on telling his students what to think and why they are wrong in thinking different than he tells you. In short, it was more of the same partisan politics that seem to characterize this supposedly "new" politician who was going to lead us away from the mean-spirited world of politics as usual toward a new breath of fresh air in politics.



Obama proved once again he is nothing more than a Chicago South side politician who knows better than the public and who scolds the public for daring to challenge his words. Even the pro-life heckler who disrupted Obama for about three minutes left him startled and mad that someone, anyone, would dare challenge his credentials. What credentials?

In his latest speeches Obama suddenly saw the light and attacked the banks, the same ones he saved, the same ones who have given millions of dollars to his and other Democratic leaders campaign funds. He attacked pharmaceutical companies while helping Coatley raise money from them. He acts as if we will never know the House majority leader, his man Steny Hoyer, has raised nearly a million dollars from the bad guys and other Washington politicians have raised over $150 million from them.

If Obama does react to a potential loss with even more arrogance, and continues to try and slam unpopular trillion dollar spending bills down our throat, then he might as well lock the doors on the White House and Congress for the last three years of his term because he will be well on his way to being the most ineffective president of all time.

Maybe he learned all about socialism in Ivy League schools and from his many left wing radical friends but he didn't learn enough from the practical applications of socialism in the real world. Socialism only works when people are weak. Americans are not and never have been weak. The people will never stand for an agenda they did not know he intended to pursue and that the people have rejected over and over again throughout our history.



If our young president cannot learn the virtue of humility, and drop his idiotic spending bills and his fast track toward bankruptcy for our nation, he should resign. Our presidents are supposed to lead all the people, not just those few he likes or gave him money. In the 21st century the president of the United States cannot be an on the job training program and the White House is not a frat club for the elite. He must realize he serves us, we do not serve him.

If he cannot learn that simple lesson of Democracy then he should step aside. Because if he cannot learn that lesson of Democracy the people will have to throw him out. That is the Constitutional solution when a president does not serve the people. Wake up Mr. President before it is too late. You have awakened a sleeping giant in the American public and they are mad as hell at what you are doing to our nation. In America, people are Americans first, then members of political parties. When parties ignore the wishes of the public they no longer serve a useful purpose.

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Will Boston be Obama's Waterloo? Did He Meddle Once too Often?

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You don't mess around in Boston, the heart and soul of tea party movements in America, the citadel of freedom and the home of America's first tea party that sent shock waves throughout the world. I think people underestimate the Bostonians, take them for granted. Obama's Chicago gang thinks the people of Boston and Massachusetts will do whatever Obama tells them because they are the most liberal state in America. But the people of Boston are populists first. They do not like being told what to do by outsiders.



As the Massachusetts Senate race comes down to the wire next week and the White House goes into full blown panic mode because of the surge in polls by the Republican, Scott Brown, and the collapse of the Democrat, Martha Coakley, will this be the race that convinces our young president to stop meddling in the state races once and for all?



He did not read the mood of the public in New Jersey and Virginia where Democratic candidates for governor in states Obama won handily and with Democratic governors took a beating from the Republican candidates in spite of being outspent by huge margins. Yet here we are, just a few weeks later and the bullies in the White House once again want to tell state voters who to elect. Such arrogance, even from Chicago politicians, is rather stupid.



As a supporter of the Kennedys and supporter of Kennedy candidates in the past I can tell you Martha Coakley is not Ted Kennedy. If she were really in touch with the people, as John and Bobby Kennedy were, she would have campaigned with the people. She said she would not waste her time meeting workers when she could just meet with their bosses. Both John and Bobby would be shocked by such an elitist attitude.



I remember shaking Bobby Kennedy's hand in Nebraska in 1968, along with a crowd of people, when he was surging into the lead in the presidential race and just a couple of days before his assassination. The Kennedy's were always the people's choice, not the bosses and they never forgot it.

If Coakley wanted to be like the Kennedys she would not have squandered her time as Attorney General. She could have sued the banks of Wall Street and the hedge fund and derivative manipulators in Boston who ripped off the American Treasury, stole the retirement dreams from millions of Americans, and destroyed the dream of home ownership for millions more. But instead she asks them for money for her campaign.

She could have demanded accountability from the pharmaceutical companies, health companies and insurance companies for their role in health care price increases but instead gets their money from Democratic party officials. Her special interest campaign contributors read like a Wall Street who's who and we all know by now that when they give money they expect money in return. Just ask our young president with his bailouts, buyouts, loans and stimulus. Who did that money benefit?



And if Teddy Kennedy were still alive you can bet he would be outraged at the shape the Obama health care reform debacle has taken. There are more bribes, more backroom deals than constructive initiatives in this bill. I cannot believe Kennedy would stand for the Obama, Pelosi, Reid pyramid scheme intended to fill everyone's pockets with cash except the public who will be paying for it for generations.



Teddy Kennedy had integrity. He was patient for a generation waiting to get meaningful reform. He would not have endorsed this sham just to get anything approved so the president and congress would look like they did something this past year. The Obama health care bill is not reform but a bureaucratic boondoggle the likes of which we have never seen and no one understands. Coakley wants it, Brown does not. Maybe that has a lot to do with her falling star and his rising popularity.

If Obama fails again to impose his will on the people of yet another sovereign state in America maybe, just maybe, he will finally stop meddling in state affairs and get on with governing all the people. If not he will fill out his term maintaining his do nothing administration while achieving record deficits and national debt. Not a legacy one should seek.

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