by Roz Romero

Created on: April 25, 2008

In the past, media played a large and important role in shaping the political landscape.

In the age of FDR and the Golden Age of Radio, Sunday evenings found most Americans sitting around the radio listening to the latest goings on in Washington, directly from the President himself. The famous FDR "Fireside Chats" served as an effective tool in not only informing the citizenry, but it also mobilized them into action with many governmental causes.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Nation were exposed to many horrific casualties - all played out on their television sets. The assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy; Martin Luther King; and, the raw footage of the terrifying war waging in Indochina, burnt images in the collective mindset. Night after night, by way of the the nightly news, these images undoubtedly had a terrific effect upon the American people, who ultimately were shocked into action.

Then came the Watergate proceedings - the first live televised gavel to gavel coverage of a matter of such extraordinary social and political significance. The bleak exposure of improper conduct by Nixon and his cohorts shook the country to its foundation and ultimately, a new political wind began to blow across the country.

But that was then, and this is now.

Today media is controlled by a small number of corporations - often mega- conglomerates that have a seat at the table, so to speak, in the very game of abuse of governmental control and power. These giant companies have a direct financial interest in sustaining the status quo.
Counting on media to package the truth and spread it is just plain naiive.

In furtherance of my argument, I proffer this point. There have been many excellent journalists who have written scathing and shocking pieces of governmental coverups and obvious corruption, but little, if anything has ever come of it. In an obvious instance, there is the improper exposure of Valerie Plame's CIA operative status to the press! This was highly reported on, and most Americans believed that what had happened to Valerie Plame was wrong and possibly even a criminal matter. But what happened as a result of this amazing tale coming to light? Nothing. Not a thing. Well, I guess there was an indictment of Scooter Libby, but was that really the beginning and end of that story? I think not. Many others were equally culpable in the crime, yet they skated away unscathed.

Media reported on the truth and lies about Iraq; the billions of contractor dollars deemed "missing" by the General Accounting Office; the gross misconduct by Halliburton and other like defense contractors. Despite these abominations coming to light by way of the media, none of these matters have lead to reform of any kind. Ultimately, media is not the answer. It is but a singular piece in the recipe necessary for true governmental reform. It simply requires the actions of the people for that to happen. It takes a society of individuals willing to make it their business to keep abreast of what is going on in Washington. It requires a commitment to not accept at face value what the media is saying or suggesting what you should think. It necessitates active information gathering and sharing with others who share the common goal to hold government accountable.

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