By ALANE CALLANDER
For the Stafford County Sun
Published: April 9, 2008

Freedom of the press is an integral part of our democracy, but from
what I’ve been seeing lately, for a better America our mass media
should spend more time reporting fact and far less time distorting and
sensationalizing the news.

The extended presidential nominating process has brought this concern
to the forefront. I believe that radio and television are fueling a
miserable atmosphere for determining our nation’s next leader.

Media executives seem to assume that Americans are interested less in
fair coverage and more in entertainment and relieving frustration.
They must have some evidence of that, but plenty of folks crave
thorough, objective investigative reporting, and we all deserve it.

I particularly hate the picking apart of words uttered by candidates,
their spouses, staff and other supporters and the concerted effort
to distort and spread far and wide small items of gossip or analysis.

Admittedly, since I rarely listen to talk radio, I rely on what
television and print media have to say. I hear that outspoken radio
commentators paint far-fetched images of our political leaders.

The sad thing is, people listen to all this and even believe it, or if
they sense it isn’t true, they still love hearing it and even spread
the word. It’s almost a sadistic satisfaction that they get.

Commentators promote prejudice, like the Cincinnati radio
personality who repeated Barrack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, over and
over with the full intention of stirring up fear that he was somehow
connected with a Muslim like Saddam Hussein.

Have the media played a role in the results of a recent poll that
showed 12 percent of Americans think Obama is a Muslim, though he’s actually a practicing Christian?

For some bizarre reason, it’s great for ratings and bloats radio
personality salaries outrageously. They can even be hypocrites and
get away with it. Rush Limbaugh, the king, railed against drug addicts
only to later admit that he was an addict himself, addicted to opiate
painkillers.

According to one report I came across, Limbaugh’s show reaches 20
million listeners at 600 stations nationwide and pays him $200 million
in earnings. Some make a game of keeping up with his distortions, such
as through the book, “The way things aren’t: Rush Limbaugh’s Reign of
Error. (The New Press, 1995).

Television news shows, instead of being informative, have become more
concerned with keeping viewers mesmerized and coming back for more.
Like an addiction, that ensures high viewership and competitive ratings.

Consider the O’Reilly Factor, the most watched cable news program for
several years running, which airs on FOX. It’s seen on 400 U.S.
stations but also in 50 countries worldwide. I rarely watch O’Reilly,
because I don’t trust his facts, despite his scholarly credentials, and
I find his tone downright objectionable.

However, I did turn O’Reilly on when I thought that the normally even-handed
CNN newsman Wolf Blitzer was unfairly writing off Hillary
Clinton before the Potomac primaries and giving Obama a clear boost.
O’Reilly was singing praises for Clinton at the time, which I
personally found more palatable.

Just before the Ohio and Texas primaries, Clinton supporters bombarded
the stations with complaints about slanted coverage. The resultant
change on CNN seemed dramatic to me. Though Clinton was favored to win
the two states, her numbers likely were enhanced by more positive news
coverage.

Since then, I’ve discovered that CNN’s Candy Crowley is the one to tune
in for balanced political reporting. She’s fair to each candidate.

Americans are taking a huge interest in choosing our next president.
The debates were ratings sensations. This is good because the
debates generally focused on the issues, particularly once the number
of candidates was whittled down.

Many voters are sincerely trying to get more educated, as they don’t
want to be hoodwinked and vote for another disaster president like
George W. Bush.

It’s expected that campaigns will blow things out of proportion as
part of their divide and conquer strategies. Rather than reporters and
commentators contributing to the spread of lies and inaccuracies, leave
that to purchased advertising. Americans need to rise up and demand
better journalism and they will get it.

Alane Callander is a south Stafford resident who is active in many causes. Reach her at .