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March 30, 2009

Old Media Watchdogs Beg for Treats

Ralph Alter
In a whiny, absurd editorial worthy of the DaDa movement, Neil Finley of The Detroit News urges public support of the newspaper industry, touting it's function as watchdog:

The opportunists and political grifters will still be around, scheming to move your money into their pockets. The exploiters and manipulators still will be there to prey on the gullible for their own power and profit.

All that will be missing is the barking watchdog to keep them at bay.

Watchdog?

Had nespapers dug deeply into Barack Obama's wafer-thin resume , radical associates, socialist ideas,  and utter lack of experience during the 2008 Presidential campaign, would he have been elected? With just a modicum of investigatory effort on the part of the American newspaper industry we could have been spared the current Grifters-on-Steroids Democrat  Congress and Obama administration.

Finley laments the report of newspaper foldings of late, warning:

The news ought to disturb anyone who buys into the premise that institutions both public and private need an independent monitor to keep them honest. And who wouldn't believe that, considering what the corruption and incompetence of Washington and Wall Street have done to our economy? (ibid)

Where were those alleged media hounds when Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, and Rahm Emmanuel were turning Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae into the financial division of ACORN?

Clearly this newspaper dog don't hunt.  In addition, the news media failed to recognize the rampant collusion between Wall Street firms and their supposed regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission as wealthy Democrat contributors developed ever-more cozy relationships with their entrenched career bureaucrat enablers.  How do you think guys like Bernie Madoff and Allen Stanford rang up their billion dollar scams?  Apparently Finley's touted watchdogs snoozed their way through the early 21st century.

The Detroit News editor saves the humor for last.  Feigning gallantry Finley claims:

There's no federal bailout coming for the newspaper industry, and I doubt we'd take it if it were offered. Better to die than be compromised. We've got to meet this challenge on our own.

Meanwhile newspaper publishers of every stripe squeal like pigs stuck under a fence as their Congressional allies seek federal subsidies on their behalfs.

If I had a watchdog as bad as the newspaper industry, I would have it put to sleep.  The new internet-based media is much more capable of performing the independent function of investigatory journalism.  They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks-but you can get a new dog.

Ralph Alter blogs at Right on Target 

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