I happened upon an interesting 'talk' today on a cable news network. They had engaged in a 'casual like' talk about the internet and it's DIVERSITY of topics. Diversity does not lend itself to a 24 news channel although for the life of me I don't understand why.
But.
To place a topic for another day into perspective there is a path they are heading down that is treacherous and I am not going to leave people alone on that path.
The internet holds interest in subjects far longer than television does for some reason. People sometimes specialize their interests as if a 'study' of a subject. Katrina is nearly never mentioned in the news these days except for what might be impacting issues that resulted from that in the way legislation or in the case of New Orleans gentrification that is causing some land prices to rise out of control and out of the reach of the people, those still alive, that used to live there. It is an important dialogue that still continues on the net. People still have grievances. The subject of the negligence of this administration to protect the people they are supposed to serve is very much still alive and will be for decades. There will be no silencing the issues that surround Katrina and this White House. If Bush is looking for history to paint him a brilliant strategist in the Middle East, that is not worth venturing into, but history will forever never forgive him for the thousands dead and still missing and most likely still buried in Louisiana mud. Delta mud.
What I try to do here on this blog supplied through the imagination and generosity of Google which has seen stock prices skyrocket, is bring a 'revisit' in may instances to events still an issue and not necessarily paid attention to by the news media. It's called 'filling in the cracks.' I believe it is important and then at least once a week I try to let any readers of this blog know I have a brain in my head and have opinions. And frequently those opinions are also reflected in the newspapers I visit and carry home.
"Filling in the cracks" is important. People get cheated out of life if they fall through them. That for a democracy that is STILL HANGING ON (Applause, applause) is vitally important for every man, woman and child should have a firm foundation to live on and not one with cracks that keep their voices oppressed, invisible and causes them hardship.
You know this is the year 2006. It's not 1906. We don't read from printing presses and there are some in media business who would like a return to that "One Way" conversation with only approved 'Letters to the Editor' as a venue of decent. Ask yourself one question; "Would Michael Moore's Letter to the Editor" ever make it to print? No. So, the venue that Google brings with blogs and "You Tube" regardless the controversy has saved our democracy. The blogs of people like Mike Moore has found 'the truth' and reminded us everyday of the precious freedom and democracy that was literally slipping though our fingers.
Needless to say I have strong passions about all this and can go on for awhile but in order to do the subject of journalism 'Then and Now' justice I want to not rush into the subject. I love journalism and feel it is The Fourth Branch of government. BUT. Also the most endangered to a survival of profit and loss and government oppression. It is an art. But it is also a science and the science of journalism is less upheld than it should be. We could not live without medicine, law, spiritual guidance of whatever the venue, and we cannot live without "Freedom of the Press." So. For another day.
Let's see......hm........
