Dakota Beacon

In Medieval times three estates of the realm were conceived of as hierarchical social orders – the clergy, the nobility and the commoners. Much later the term “Fourth Estate” referred to forces outside the governing power structure. Today the term Fourth Estate commonly refers to the news media and specifically to an independent press (a true oxymoron in today’s parlance).

The health of democracy depends on access to information. An informed citizenry capable of making informed decisions is preeminent. The alternative is that citizens act out of ignorance. An independent press serves as a check on elected officials to carry out the wishes of those who elected them. Many in the United States naively believe that the contemporary news media monitors the political process to ensure that politicians don’t abuse the democratic process.

News reporting is supposed to be objective and neutral. That may have been the case decades ago, but not now. Too often what passes for journalism is little more than news readers with feelings, opinions and preconceived ideas being foisted on a gullible public. A few choice representative examples include:

“Every media organization has investigated this (Benghazi) to death. This animates the right wing of the Republican Party. And I would like to point out that Ambassador (Chris) Stevens was not murdered. He died of smoke inhalation in the safe room in that CIA installation.” – Eleanor Clift, McLaughlin Group May 11, 2014.

“We got a report today about ObamaCare that was both surprising and widely misunderstood. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said about two million Americans are likely to pass up full-time jobs because of the President’s health insurance program. Those aren’t necessarily jobs being lost. They’re also workers choosing to work less.” – Scott Pelley, CBS Evening News February 4, 2014.

“Despite bitter opposition, despite having come close to self-inflicted disaster, Obama has emerged as one of the most consequential and, yes, successful presidents in American history….I don’t care about the fact that Obama hasn’t lived up to the golden dreams of 2008, and I care even less about his approval rating. I do care that he has, when all is said and done, achieved a lot. That is, as Joe Biden didn’t quite say, a big deal.” – New York Times columnist Paul Krugman writing the cover story for Rolling Stone “In Defense of Obama” October 23, 2014.

“It’s not a substantive argument. It was a scare tactic by the Republican opponents of Democratic (sic) incumbents, who tried to focus on ISIS and Ebola in the scariest, most non-factual ways, to take the eye off the real issues.” – NBC’s Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC’s election night coverage, November 4, 2014.

“Rick Perry sending 1,000 National Guard troops to border to shoot small children. Could make good headlines – in Russia.” – Roger Simon, Politico’s chief political columnist July 21, 2014.

“I hope Roger Ailes dies slow, painful, and soon. The evil that man has done to the American tapestry is unprecedented for an individual.” – Alan Pyke, deputy economic policy editor for Think Progress blog in reaction to Fox News Channel’s coverage of the unrest in Ferguson.

“Without the IRS, or something like it, we wouldn’t have a government. In fact, it’s the cornerstone upon which the entire edifice of the federal government is built. And that is precisely the reason conservatives have so consistently taken a sledgehammer to it….” Chris Hayes, MSNBC host on criticism of Lois Lerner April, 15, 2014.

These representative quotes, though objectionable, are not uncommon. Here are some news stories that should have made the front page of major news  media but didn’t. People go to prison for not paying taxes. Found guilty of owing the IRS $200,000, Chuck Berry served a five month prison sentence. Found guilty of owing the IRS $354,968, Pete Rose served a five month prison sentence. Found guilty of owing the IRS $1.2 million, Leona Helmsley served 21 months in the big house. On the other hand, Al Sharpton, who owes over $3 million in back taxes, spends much time visiting the White House as President Obama’s consultant on racial politics.

Another worthy news story is essentially omitted from front page coverage because it does not fit the media’s pro-Obama narrative. This year the IRS will be very slow paying refunds and answering calls for assistance. It claims its budget has been cut. Yet, it has plenty of money to hire an additional 9,000 agents to enforce the Obamacare mandate. Also, the IRS has plenty of money to pay illegal aliens tax credits for income earned while they were not authorized to work in the United States. That, too, is news worthy if only the editorial boards would choose to cover the story.

Today we can praise the “Fifth Estate” – bloggers, journalists and alternative media outlets -- who operate outside the reach of the mainstream news. For the most part, they do today what the mainstream media was once famous for – sound news coverage.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at P. O. Box 337, Stanley, ND 58784 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).