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Arrogance of the Press
By Bob Davidson, Collinsville
Richard Reeves, in an editorial printed in the Hartford Courant on November 12 [Bush and Nixon: A Cautionary Tale], displays the worst side of the press. He says, "Bush is trying to cut Congress and the press out of the decision-making loop."
The last time I checked, there were only three branches of government, and the press was not one of them. This is not to say they don't have considerable influence. They can decide, for example, which president who commits criminal acts will be forced out of office. If he's a Republican (Nixon) out he goes; if he's a Democrat (Clinton) in he stays.
Mr. Reeves further complains, "the press doesn't know what is going on either, until it has already happened in quiet corners somewhere inside the White House." Gee, I guess Mr. Reeves thinks that instead of the press reporting facts, the president should consult journalists before he makes decisions. We can be thankful that is not how it works.
Mr. Reeves is so disturbed about what he perceives as secrecy in the White House that he says, "someday in some way the secrets are revealed and the price is paid." That sounds an awful lot like a threat—especially if you are a Republican president.
Finally, Mr. Reeves, who apparently thinks he and some other members of the press should run our government, refers to our government as a democracy. Please, at least get that straight—we are a republic.
Mr. Reeves, in an editorial printed in the Courant on October 23 [Truth in the Packaging of War News], while crucifying the government for controlling the media's access to information, gives a perfect example of why the government does not trust the media. He states, as if reporting a fact, that, "In the 1990 Gulf War … more than a half million Americans and allies invaded Iraq to return the palaces of Kuwait to their rightful and royal owners."
I believe he is completely incorrect in the way he stated his opinion of our reasons for the Gulf War. What is serious and dangerous is when the media, as it often does, presents its opinions as fact. This alone justifies the government's distrust of the media.
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