Do You Want the Truth?

By The Night Watchman

I came into the news business with the idealism that if only reporters would ask the right questions, we could come to the truth. Silly me, it's not the case.

Last month, I quit my job as a news reporter and broadcaster for a News/Talk station. At first, it was a dream job. A job where a news junkie could get into the thick of the action, get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how society works, and be in the know. How exciting!

Well, as it turns out, news reporters, especially in traditional media, are really nothing but mouth pieces for our so-called leaders to spew out their gobbledygook to confuse the masses and keep them at bay for whatever reason, big or small. The game has been fixed from the beginning. The question now is, will the public ever become outraged enough to force a change in how news is presented, or has government and their partners in the media manipulated the masses to the degree where citizens will just relinquish their rights without so much as a whimper of protest? Sadly, it's too close to call, but I do see some positive strides with the advent of the internet and scores of wonderful sites dedicated to presenting sides of the news you won't read or see anywhere else.

To get a view of the big picture of how news is manipulated, I'm going to give you some examples from my experiences.

Over the years, I've spent countless hours at boring school board meetings. I still remember my first meeting whereupon I noticed their mission statement:

"To nurture students to become intellectually and personally empowered for citizenship in a changing world".

At first glance, the statement seem innocuous, but reading between the lines, I sense something totally different. Take the word "nurture". Why did they use that particular word? Is it because they, a group of government bureaucrats, believe they have a better sense of what's best for your child?

Moving on to... "to become intellectually and personally empowered for citizenship in a changing world". Wow. Seems like a dynamite closing, but think of it this way. Nowhere in that phrase is any mention of the individual's needs. Granted, it is good for the person to become intellectually and personally empowered, but it seems the education industry, i.e. government, wants them to be only empowered to be a part of a collective - i.e. "citizenship", in a changing world.

As part of my proof of this, in the years I've been covering education issues, most discussions centered on groups of students. Your child is not an individual. He or she is either grouped as "low income", "free or reduced" lunch students, Hispanic, African-American, handicapped, special education, A.D.D., etc. A school district's primary goal is to raise a group's test scores to get more money to perpetuate the process. So, the individual student is punished right from the beginning if he or she does not help the collective - that is - whichever group is being evaluated at the time.

Now, what does this have to do with news, you ask? Very simple. No one wants egg on their face. There have been several instances of educators deliberately altering government mandated test scores and evaluations (I'm not indicating the school district I covered did, but it's not the point) to get their hands on extra funding. If a local media outlet found out about this, there is a good chance the story would be cut. Why? Well, for one thing, school districts have booster clubs that provide money to local media to cover sporting events and advertise other events throughout the year. If you were to put out a story that made the community's schools look bad, it could very well have a huge effect on a media outlet's revenue.

City governments work in much the same way. News people have to take into account advertising revenues - it pays their salary. Local newspapers receive thousands of dollars of revenue from public notices and such. Should a competitor come in to town, there would be a big fight over those monies, hence, the public gets a watered down version of events to stay in good with officials who help out with distributing money. It's no different with the big networks and newspapers. In short, those in power will use it if they believe news stories are hurting them. Lawmakers and bureaucrats decide who gets a license, an audit, or any other kind of headache.

I'm writing this article in an effort to give you an idea of what's really happening. Some of you may not even keep up with the news which is your choice, however, if you hear a story of interest, be sure to find out more information from other sources because you will not get the whole story from just one. A rule of thumb is to always ask - who benefits? Or simply, follow the money.

It's been a long journey for me to finally come to the conclusion that I have spent many years, in essence, lying to the public for a living. I didn't do it with the intention of deceiving, but the way the system has evolved, a person just becomes a cog in the machinery that is difficult to get away from.

We all have to live and work and we all have responsibilities toward others, but sometimes, we need to look deep into our soul and decide whether we can sleep with a clean conscience. It's an individual choice. I've made mine.

Don't get me wrong. There are still some great, independently owned media outlets out there that give you some decent stories, but they're primarily the small town newspapers and radio stations that require the participation of the community because they have a greater say in what is presented. You don't get that when big companies are swallowing up all the media outlets in the small communities.

Still, the decision was difficult but, with the help and love of my family, we'll move on to bigger and better things. With the twinge of idealism left in me, I will continue to inform you of stories you don't see or hear in the mainstream media in an effort not to depress, but hopefully get you to question the "official" version of the story.

But, we are making strides. The internet has given us an opportunity to find out for ourselves what we want to know about and decide what information is believable or not. It's not left to a managing editor or publisher. With that advantage, we are able to take more control over our lives from the powers that be for the simple reason that people in power don't want to be questioned. It reduces their credibility. By definition, people in power have the control over what you are able to do. So, take some of that power, or better yet, ALL of that power back and live life under your terms, not theirs.

Don't even take MY word for it. Think for your yourself.

P.S. I will be posting some opinion articles regarding current events on the newspage in the future. I promise it will not be so "serious" in nature, but hope to give you some insight that will give you some food for thought.

Thanks again for all who visit our site. We appreciate your time and hope we are continuing to give you interesting subjects to ponder.