It used to be news came to us in manageable doses. A television hour here, a newspaper hour there, a few radio snippets thrown in for good measure. There was a clear separation between the morning “feel good” shows like NBC’s Today Show and real news. In fact, they would make a point of when they were changing to a 5-minute news break. We didn’t really view the stars as real journalists, they were “personalities.”
That all began to change with the creation of Ted Turner’s Cable News Network, where we got the news 24/7/365. They found that filling 61, 320 hours of airtime would be cost-prohibitive unless they played the same stories over and over. People got bored so they had to come up with "discussion hours" where opinion became the main course. The other networks found they were losing market share and thus began the evolution from morning personalities to “journalists.” But to fill the airtime they still had to attract personalities the viewers wanted, and the best way to do that was to get in people who had a personal agenda in appearing. It could be as simple as hawking a movie or book, or as complex as detailing a scandal. The more scandals the better for the networks. If they didn’t have a real one, then why not make one up? That had been the way entertainment had sold itself for decades, and as news became entertainment they naturally fed into the tried and true ways of self-promotion.
As we’ve seen - the evolution from journalist to entertainer has been gradual, and most news people seemingly still live with the delusion they are “Journalists and members of the fifth estate,” charged with keeping the government honest and the people informed. Unfortunately for all of us, they are unwilling to be candid and honest about the views they hold as dear and are used to flavor the news they choose to present, or the fashion they choose to present it in.
As we’ve seen, with increasing clarity, these organizations have shifted from simple reporting of the news to flavoring news to support of a political agenda. Now when something happens, they roll out not only the story but a wealth of “talking heads” who are supposed to be experts in the area of concern who will tell us what the event really means. That keeps the real purpose intact. We are not obligated to think for ourselves, they are happy to tell us how to think.
Let’s review the history on this whole Jussie Smollett affair and please feel free to jump in and tell me where I am wrong. Since Smollett is an actor, let’s put this into the form of a tragedy in three acts.
Preface: Setting the stage: The left hates Trump and Trump supporters and since his election has done anything and everything to discredit and vilify him and them. (That is my opening position. Feel free to show me how I am wrong).
Opening Act, Scene 1: Jussie Smollett (JS) an activist actor, who was allegedly attacked on the snow-covered streets of Chicago in the late hours of a freezingly cold night by two Trump supporters, (JS claimed they were wearing Make America Great Again ball caps), who were apparently wandering around looking for a gay black man to vent their homophobic and racist views on.
Opening Act, Scene 2: JS is courted by a media who is totally on-board with the idea that all Trump supporters must be homophobic-racists, and his story is broadcast repeatedly without questioning the logic of his story. (For the record, and to their credit, I believe the Chicago police took a good track in believing the victim until reasonable doubt became obvious.)
Act 1, Scene 3: Every prominent liberal politician and media personality jumps into the fray with condemnation of the crime without one shred of evidence to support this was, in fact, a legitimate crime. (It was critical for both the politicians and entertainment celebrities to be seen as sympathetic of JS victim status and confirm America’s intolerance is so great Trump must be destroyed.)
Act 2, Scene 1: Questions begin to arise as to the details of the JS storyline as the police continue their investigations into who actually executed this “hate crime.”
Act 2, Scene 2: Details of previous problems JS has had with telling the truth begins to emerge.
Act 2, Scene 3: Good Morning America has JS on and is interviewed by what could only be described as a totally sympathetic Robin Roberts to defend his victim status.
Act 3, Scene 1: The men first highlighted in Chicago’s CTV video are identified and questioned.
Act 3, Scene 2: Rumors begin to float that the men knew JS, worked with JS, and perhaps were hired by JS, and they were agreeing to testify about what really occurred.
Act 3, Scene 3: Chicago police and the District Attorney have sufficient information to charge JS with filing a false report and he is arrested. Fade to black.
Postscript: This story has not fully played out, but it does not appear there will be any serious self-appraisal on the part of those in the alleged journalist profession. The agendas will remain intact, and JS will soon be just a Wikipedia footnote.
One final thought: There was someone on twitter who had what I consider a brilliant summary of this whole affair. “Jussie Smollett is what happens when the supply of racism fails to meet the demand.” It is my hope the supply of racism continues to decline until it can’t be used by those who would claim it as a defense for bad acts.
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