6170: Re: 6154: Journalistic stories on Haiti, Dorce to Durran , (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: LAKAT47@aol.com


<<  From: Mary Durran <durranmary@hotmail.com>

I too am getting tired of reading posts that blame journalists for  the 
misperceptions of Haiti in the US.  >>


<snip>


<<  The point is, the content of the US media is ultimately defined by those 
who 
pay to read it - the American public and journalists, most of whom are 
underpaid, cannot be blamed for their reading habits.  >>

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
This may be true Mary, but then let the journalists who put themselves up as 
reporters of the truth say so and not delude themselves and their readers as 
to their function.  It still remains that what is written distorts reality 
and in a fashion that is questionable as to its purpose.  It usually has a 
certain slant.  Maybe that's why its such a soul numbing job and many have to 
quit to do something else like write novels.  After awhile, taking money for 
doing something you really can't be proud of must be wearing.  Haiti has 
suffered immeasurably because of the kind of "news" that has been printed 
about her.  Even some of the positive aritcles in my collection have items 
that are distorted or even made up to enhance the writer's perception of what 
the people want to read.  

If you are defending the journalist for writing unbalanced stories about 
Haiti because that is what they are paid to do, and that's what the people 
want to read, what does that say about journalists?  And is that why we don't 
call them reporters any more?

Kathy Dorce~