My LTTE Made it in the Journal

[CAcyclist]

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type=opinions&id=59737

Editor,

As dependable as an Osama video appearing after a Republican poll downturn,we hear the perennial prediction of the “lowest turnout ever” from the mass media every time we have an election, particularly a primary.

From my standpoint, this election was intensely important to many. As I write this, we won’t have the final count until probably Wednesday, due to the need to count paper ballots in Alameda County, the election problems in Sacramento, San Joaquin and Kern counties and the large number of absentee ballots.

The conclusions I have derived from this election are that the mass media, particularly the papers owned by corporate conglomerates, have lost sight of their duty to inform the public and, instead, prefer a spectacle.

In fact, the other words that came to mind, were, as Jon Stewart might say, what do you call it? Oh, yeah — partisan hackery. Never mind that these two are both nominally Democrats.

We have one candidate, supported by 67 percent of state Democratic delegates, with a very detailed plan, who clearly and firmly called for raising taxes on the very wealthy and corporations, the same group of people who enjoyed tax cuts amounting to $17 billion from the federal government, in order to put California back on track as the best state in the nation. We have another candidate who paid $34 million from his own very deep pocket out of $36 million spent, whose only experience in office is signing checks, who couldn’t generate more than 30 percent support at the Democratic State Convention, and who has no clear plan for what he’s going to do when in office or how he’s going to pay for it.

This isn’t American Idol, folks. The way we vote has actual consequences for what happens to us individually and as a state. If we can’t get real information from the mass media, we are lost.

So, as Jon Stewart might say, Stop. Just stop. Stop the affected cynicism, stop the spin, stop the he said/she said “reporting.” Stop trying to fit the quote to the agenda. Prove to us that investigative journalism isn’t just fiction any more, after all.



Dani Weber

San Mateo

[peace13]

1. Great job!!!

[CrispyQ]

2. Great letter!

Especially the reference to American Idol.

:toast: