Once again, life has turned the tables on the media. First, was the anthrax death of a man who worked at the National Enquirer. Suddenly, instead of the smut newspaper looking for a sensational story, they were the story. Sounds like poetic justice to this author.
Anthrax seemed to be a media magnet. Tainted letters were sent to Tom Brokaw of “NBC Nightly News,” Dan rather of the “CBS Evening News” and somehow, a baby visiting ABC News headquarters contracted anthrax. We wondered, are they targeting the media?
Early on in the conflict with Afghanistan, women dressed in burkas (the traditional mandated body covering) and infiltrated the country to get the scoop. They stood in the crossfire that was Ground Zero to bring the public the inside story. They risked their lives.
In fact, a female journalist, Yvonne Ridley, of the London Express News, was captured and held by the Taliban in early October. She was eventually set free.
In another twist to an already bizarre story, the Taliban announced a $50,000 bounty for anyone who kills a western journalist. Now, instead of the journalist chasing the story, the story, for all intents and purposes, is chasing them.
Doesn’t this all seem a little bit odd? Journalists go to great lengths to bring the story to the American public and this is how they are rewarded?
Don’t kill the messenger. Journalists (ideally) are just the messengers, providing a public service by finding and relaying the information to the general public. Whether or not, dear readers, you agree or disagree, it’s not really our fault. We just provide the service.
The phrase, “don’t kill the messenger”is originally attributed to Sophocles “Antigone,” but was made popular in William Shakespeare’s “Henry IV, Part II” and “Antony and Cleopatra”(All references present a disclaimer for the messenger of bad news).
Currently, the messengers are the anchors and reporters from major television and newspapers.
What the messengers represent. It’s not so much the messengers that the Taliban are trying to stop, it’s the message. Since the Taliban doesn’t support free speech and free press in any form. They resent that we tell our country everything, largely through the media. They resent that we are able to have independant thought. They say it’s a “Western” thing. The Taliban also resents being made out as the cold-hearted villains they are. Our journalists are just doing their job.
Since they really aren’t winning the war on any other fronts, apparently they decided the journalists are something they can control. Basically, they are flexing their muscles in the only way they can.
It’s the price paid. Avoiding blowing my own horn I will say this: I appreciate the media and the lengths they go to bring the news home, more now than ever. Even if we don’t have a price on our heads (although, I’m sure if you’re really gung-ho about it, this author can point you in the direction) we still take some of the blame for the information we report.
Don’t shoot us, we’re just the messengers.
