Does Anyone Think Journalists Are Angels?

Yesterday, several news articles and reader comments reminded me why I have such low regard for the media—conservative as well as liberal. This low regard, however, is well deserved and based upon years of observing human nature—also held by me in the lowest esteem. Working in a primarily cash industry, I know that given the opportunity, practically everybody will steal.

Everywhere you look you see an attempt to thwart thieves and robbers: locks, passwords, concealed carry permits, pin numbers, software validation, and time clocks. These and countless other devices exist to keep people from stealing—or at least to make it more difficult. As a society, we simply accept these circumstances because thievery is ubiquitous.

We’d like to think that there is a class of people who can be trusted—especially those who oversee our security—such as policemen, judges and legislators. But the only reason we have to trust them is that they haven’t yet been caught (with the exception of Alcee Hastings, the Federal Judge convicted of bribery and perjury, impeached and removed from the bench who now is the honorable Congressman from Florida.)  But, I’m certain that every police station in America has lockers where cops can secure their valuables from other cops—illustrating that their perspective is merely that of society in general: if you can steal it, go for it.

Years ago, I pulled into a self-service gas station on Thanksgiving morning. Back then, you paid after pumping the gas. After filling my car, I walked over to pay the cashier and found that the station was closed for the holiday.

I thought that if I drove away, I could surely be arrested for theft.  I tried to insert a check for the gas between the panes of glass at the pay booth, but it wouldn’t fit. I walked out to the street to consider my options.  Fortunately, a policeman was driving past.  I flagged him down and explained that the owners had closed the station but had left the gas pumps on. He said, “You mean you can get free gas?”

I explained that if that was my intent, I would hardly have gone to the police first. Then it dawned on him that he could contact someone who could stop the distribution of “free gas.”

Accustomed as we are to the fact that theft is a way of life, we’re less likely to realize that lying is equally widespread. As a child, I believed that if something was printed in the newspaper it had to be true. I remember hearing others say, “They couldn’t write that unless it was true!” By the time I was in the 8^th grade, I knew that people could write pretty much anything they wanted to write.  There were no journalism police. That’s good because truth can be difficult to identify and hard to defend against opposing views—particularly if liars have more money and influence than those who are telling the truth. It’s bad because society at large still thinks that if it’s in print, it’s probably true. Just look at how often footnotes in history essays cite newspapers.

Which brings me to yesterday’s “aha.” Media outlets keep reminding people of Mitt Romney’s Mormonism. A couple of weeks ago, Romney had referenced the perspective he got while roughing it as an LDS missionary in France. Since then, reports have appeared claiming that is bogus. For example, The Telegraph wrote, “Much of Mitt Romney’s life as a Mormon missionary in France was not as poor or arduous as he has claimed, say those who knew him at the time.” The problem with that line? It claims that “much” of his life was not as poor as he claimed—not that what he said was false. Actually, during the 30 months that he was in France, he spent 8 months living in the Church’s mission home—a palatial setting with all kinds of amenities.  What about the other 22 months? He lived in slums accurately reflected by his recollection.  I’m pretty sure he faced those conditions because I was in Europe a few years after that and lived in the same conditions:  apartments with no toilet or shower and lots of rats. I lived in nicer apartments as well; but The Telegraph’s assertion is false: 8 months out of 30 hardly qualifies as “much.” A similar twist of the truth appeared on one of my formerly favorite websites when Romney responded to a reporter’s question asking if Gingrich should give back the money he got from Freddie Mac.  In response, Romney said he thought Gingrich should give the money back. Hotair modifies that to, “Mitt Romney’s demand that he return over a million dollars from Freddie Mac.”

It seems to me that it’s reasonable to paraphrase someone else’s comments; but a paraphrase should retain the original meaning of the quote. There is a big difference between agreeing affirmatively with a reporter’s suggestion and calling that agreement a demand. It’s a basic question of integrity. However, we shouldn’t be any more surprised to see the media lie than we are to see politicians steal.

Newt's Incredible Luck in Securing Employment as a Historian at Rock Star Wages

Is anybody in America stupid enough to believe that Newt Gingrich earned $1.6 million in three years to give “advice as a historian?” That’s his explanation—without cracking a smile. Here’s how that surely came about:

Freddie Mac’s Board of Directors needed advice on how to remain solvent—given the fact that they were guaranteeing the principle and interest on billions of dollars in bad loans. With a very bad business model, and financial disaster on the horizon, they made the only really logical decision: they hired an historian. That makes all the sense in the world. No reason to horse around with an economist, or an MBA, or even a good defense attorney. They needed a guy whose expertise was on the Belgian Education Policy in the Congo: 1945–1960. Of course that makes sense.  The fact that he knew lots of elected conservatives who were adverse to this fiscal madness had nothing to do with it. They didn’t need a conservative lobbyist—they needed a historian—seriously.

That wasn’t their first choice, though.  They were conflicted between the allure of a historian and the more sensible idea of getting a community organizer; but come on, he already had a job.