No news is good news

IN CHINA AROUND 1160 AD, there was an enormous public appetite for inside news about the government. Private reporters who were connected with these sensation-seeking newspapers--which, at the time, were handwritten--often were accused of leaking official news. Chou Linchi, a prominent individual with special access to government officials, wrote a memorandum petitioning for the suppression of what can be translated as "tabloid news" reported by "minor-mongers who took the opportunity to spread sensational news misleading the public."

Linchi went on to say that, whenever "there is news in the air and the public is held in suspense," these reporters "would snatch the chance to write the news down on little scripts and circulate them abroad. For instance, they often say 'So-and-so was summoned to an imperial audience today' or 'So-and-so was dismissed,' or 'So-and-so got an appointment.' This news is often inaccurate or even a groundless fabrication."

He wrote that sometimes the news "turned out to be true and some times it turned out to be false. If it was true, the news should not have been permitted to leak out, and if it was false, it was misleading ... the spreading of news through such channels is injurious to the administration and demands our attention. I humbly petition that Your Majesty should issue an edict prohibiting their circulation with definite forms of punishment attached to it. In this way, people will learn about the government orders without conjecturing about them, and whatever is issued will be correct and reliable. In this way, the dignity of the government is upheld and the source of publicity will be unified."

Nothing much has changed since that memorandum was written. Big Government and Big Business think the same way. They believe that any sensitive information released is not a good thing. If the information is false, it is misleading. If it is true, it should not have been leaked. Either way, no news is good news. Only information that is carefully controlled by the source is permissible. Then, as the ancient media watcher put it, "the source of publicity will be unified."

Journalists who have reported on government and business in the last few decades constantly complain that it is getting more and more difficult to get accurate news to the public. If" a reporter, for example, writes a story that includes unfavorable information about the president, he or she likely will be ostracized and given no further access to the Oval Office. The same is true with many other government officials, from senators to governors to mayors and city council members. Private business, on the other hand, simply closes its doors to any journalist right off the bat--no access. If any employee talks to a journalist, his or her job is in jeopardy.

This has been the case with the coverage of celebrities for decades--public relations representatives will not give interviews with any of their clients if an unfavorable story appears. Editors have to decide whether an unflattering piece on one of the rep's lesser clients is worth losing a story with an A-list one. Government and business are following that lead.

There used to be public outcry over such shenanigans. Today, though, much of the media that would do the complaining are owned by major corporations who relish this situation. Moreover, thanks to successful campaigning to discredit the media as biased, the news reports from the consolidated media giants do not rock the boat. Whistle-blowers, even when their information is in the public interest, are condemned by their employers and usually end up jobless with no public gratitude. There is little incentive for any government or business employee to do anything in the public interest by releasing critical information to the news media.

Without sources, even the best-intentioned of reporters hit a brick wall. Since there is no incentive from the news organization for investigative reporting, most of the news Americans get is manufactured by special-interests and public relations arms of government and business. The bulk of TV news is filled with local crimes, celebrity news, weather, sports, and consumer information. There practically is no serious coverage given to government, elections, economic issues. corporations--to stories that have an enormous impact on the lives of every citizen.

The news media are intimidated by the powers that be and have little public support to challenge authority. More often than not, the news media roll over in gratitude for crumbs fed to them by media relations offices in government and business. Only when a major corporation cheats millions of investors out of their savings, or government officials commit an obvious major blunder, do journalists react with after-the-fact stories that surprise readers and viewers who had no idea that something was amiss.

With so much news media being swallowed up by international corporations, the situation will not improve. Big Government and Big Business love this environment because they can control it so effectively. The only one getting hurt is the public, which has been conditioned by years of propaganda not to trust the Fourth Estate. So, average citizens are kept in the dark while the rich and their corporate friends with government pull give each other high fives. The news media, meanwhile, sit around talking about celebrity gossip, sensational trials, the crime of the day, and why Americans do not vote or seem to care about pressing issues.