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Are we there yet?
by
Shelly Aamodt
03/23/2003
Recently, a friend sent an insightful cartoon that portrayed President Bush as a military, jeep driver moving towards a victory sign with steadiness and speed. Sitting next to him was a child with ice cream in hand, strapped in, wearing a press button. Words repeatedly coming from the child, “Are we there yet?” That pretty much sums up what Americans have observed over the past days.
Today as our country battles Saddam to liberate the Iraqi people, we find ourselves in daily barrage of political commentary and questions from reporters with agendas, rather than an honest presentation of factual information by journalists.
Perhaps the time has come for reporters with agenda to be questioned on the necessity of speaking falsehood to the public. When they begin to cry with urgency, “Are we there yet?” we must ask ourselves, why do they ask and what are the facts. Also, when they start to compare the war of a few days to the Vietnam War of 12 years, our radar must pick up on their deceptive suggestions. As they speak hopefully of unsubstantiated divisions within the administration or the military, an alarm must be sounded. When our leader’s words are taken out of context to suit the reporter’s purpose, their integrity must be publicly denounced. And finally, ignorance of military history should not be allowed to be an excuse.
No one is asking the journalist to take a side or to promote propaganda. To the contrary, what is asked and expected is honesty without direction or bias. Accuracy in reporting should be the standard rather than the exception.
So, tomorrow when you hear one of the reporter’s insinuations that speak to their agenda, call it what it is, preposterous.
Shelley
Aamodt
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