EDITORIAL : Fourth Estate In America DOA ~ THE 5TH ESTATE ASIA

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

EDITORIAL : Fourth Estate In America DOA

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Brian Williams, Bill O'Reilly sagas epitomise everything that is wrong with today's corporate media

THE 5TH ESTATE
By Robert S. Finnegan
02/25/2015

It is an extremely rare event when The 5th Estate deems it necessary to editorialise on events dominating the news coverage in America, however the recent exposure of two news "icons" for reportage embellishments require a closer look at the rot that is now prevalent in the corporate "mainstream media" and the impact on how news reporting is defined and disseminated for public consumption.

Recently, CBS anchor Brian Williams was called out for making false statements regarding his reporting on the Iraq war, and was rightfully suspended. Why this already successful and respected journalist chose to tarnish his reputation in this unnecessary manner remains a mystery. As Williams is one of the highest paid journalists in America the issue of money is doubtful.

Was it simply an egotistical grasping for greater glory? Whatever the answer is it will most likely remain known only to Williams himself.

The problems began for Fox News editorialist Bill O'Reilly when he hypocritically - and quite unnecessarily - piled further abuse upon Williams who had already taken a massive public drubbing by colleagues, media pundits and Veterans groups, the proverbial pot calling the kettle black.

The now-disgraced Bill O'Reilly; greed, shameless-self

promotion, bogus BS finally catches up with filthy rich

Fox News hack

O'Reilly obviously and quite mistakenly through a heady and toxic mixture of a massive ego coupled with perceived omnipotence thought himself untouchable. As today's news headlines attest to, he has turned out to be dead wrong.

O'Reilly, who has made legions of enemies during his career for his polemic, acerbic, insulting style of editorialising and "reporting" utilising specious, highly questionable "facts" is now being eviscerated in both the "mainstream" and Independent media for lying about reporting from the Falkland Islands war zone.

Both very public figures attempted - as is the now accepted form of dealing with scandals in "mainstream media" and political circles today - to shuck and jive their way out of the corners they had painted themselves into and in the process were only buried deeper into the quagmires of lies and obfuscations of their own making.

Those watching these embarrassing media spectacles were rightfully left wondering now just how they should interpret the previous reporting from both individuals, some of which was pivotal to the decisions they made on such issues as U.S. involvement in the Iraq and Afghan wars as well as other pivotal world events to include the "war on terror."

The public, who has a right to and expects honest reporting from journalists and their news bureaus must surely now be concerned following these recent revelations of "misstatements" by these individuals and once again left wondering if other scandals of

the same nature will follow.

Ed Murrow

Legendary reporter Ed Murrow would surely be left speechless at the journalistic debauchery and cults of personality that are now the norm and dominate today's "mainstream media" where news reporting has been replaced by "infotainment," bombastic propaganda and shameless self-promotion. The sole responsibility of the now dead Fourth Estate to "enlighten and inform the public" was abandoned long ago, with the corporate takeovers and consolidation of media outlets during the '80's and '90's. The media in the United States died during this era.

If there is anything to be learned from these sordid spectacles it is that Americans must now devote more time to perusing news reports from across the spectrum, drawing information and analysis form both "mainstream" and Independent media outlets, taking nothing at face value until unequivocally verified and fact-checked.

The truth, for the perceptive and inquisitive reader, lies somewhere in the middle.

Robert S. Finnegan is a retired investigative journalist based in Jakarta Indonesia, where he resides with his spouse photographer Imas Kurniawati.