Colleagues and scholars from coast to coast, across Bass Strait and all the ships at sea.
Dateline: Australia, Federal Politics 2011.
Something for everyone to think about:
Fifty years ago, on the 20th April 1961, President John F. Kennedy said in an address to the American Society of Newspaper Editors:
"The President of a great democracy such as ours, and the editors of great newspapers such as yours, owe a common obligation to the people: an obligation to present the facts, to present them with candour, and to present them in perspective."
So how do you reckon we are going?
OK, to place it in the current Australian context, we could alter "President" to read "Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and all politicians"; we could alter "editors" to read "editors, news directors, news producers, and other members of the print, radio, television and on-line media"; and we could alter "great newspapers" to read "great media outlets".
It would now read:
"The Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and all politicians of a great democracy such as ours, and the editors, news directors, news producers, and other members of the print, radio, television and on-line media of great media outlets such as yours, owe a common obligation to the people: an obligation to present the facts, to present them with candour, and to present them in perspective."
So now how do you reckon we are going?
Well, according to the public, both professions are failing miserably.
More than six months ago I wrote a piece called "The most disturbing poll numbers of all" which you can read here and as a result of the feedback I received, wrote this follow up piece called "'What's done cannot be undone'- Why not?" which you can read here, both pieces commented on how poorly the public perceived politicians and journalists, with more than 8 in 10 people not rating either profession "very high" or "high" on honesty or ethical standards.
In my discussions with members of both professions on this issue; some are appalled and determined to address it, others are resigned to the inevitability of it all, others are in denial, and still others give me one of two defences of the scoundrel; either "I don't see nothing, I just work here" or the more studious "I am just doing my job".
Until all members are equally appalled and equally determined to address this problem, then others will still be here in another fifty years (quite possibly me, as Halley's Comet returns in 2061 and I am determined to see it) making the same point and wondering why the hell it wasn't addressed.
Surely we owe it to our great democracy.
Prospera Pascha sit.
Update: By sheer coincidence, the 2011 "Image of Professions" survey was published last evening, and the results are even worse. See here.
Update: By sheer coincidence, the 2011 "Image of Professions" survey was published last evening, and the results are even worse. See here.
Oh dear. You are dreaming again! My take is that money is made by being dishonest or disingenuous so it continues and damn the consequences. Votes are obtained not by telling the truth but by obscuring facts.
ReplyDeleteLast Federal election sounded a warning by the electorate that this is getting beyond the joke but is either party listening? And if they are listening are they acting? If they are acting is the media reporting it or just spinning it away.
Thanks for your comment, Elen.
ReplyDeleteI suspect you agree with the politicians and journalists who are "resigned to the inevitability of it all."
To quote Robert Kennedy, inspired by George Bernard Shaw, "there are those who look at things they way they are, and ask why...I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"
"What's done cannot be undone" - why not?
I try not to be resigned. I hoped with Kevin 07 things would change but on it goes. What is the suggestion to break the cycle? The solution to the malaise?
ReplyDeleteElen, I wrote about ways to break the cycle and end the malaise in "The most disturbing poll numbers of all" and in "'What's done cannot be undone'- Why not?"
ReplyDeleteBoth are linked to in the above piece.