Will it take 18 months to find out what really happened? People will say that national security is a factor in releasing information. This is an important point.
Update:
Sep 21, 2023 The Associated Press
911 call shows bizarre circumstances of F-35 ejection: ‘Not sure where the airplane is,’ pilot says
The Uvalde, Texas shooting took place well over a year ago and it appears that information may still be developing. The Uvalde story is not connected to national security concerns. Calls for more gun control will develop. Here in the Seattle area, newspeople refuse to report on results of past gun control measures.
Everett updates here.
Seattle updates here.
Tacoma updates here.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking questions related to public policy all of the time.
More here: Puget Sound Area Shootings Roll On
In 2023, the press tends to support government agencies, departments and policies rather than question them.
Small Town Papers – Two Examples
In the news- example number one:
August 11, 2023 Whidbey News-Times
Whidbey sewer plants win state awards
“The Oak Harbor Clean Water Facility was recognized as outstanding by the Department of Ecology.”
“The Coupeville treatment plant received the outstanding performance award for the 13th consecutive year, and the Holmes Harbor plant was awarded for the 17th year in a row. The Penn Cove wastewater treatment plant was also a recipient this year.”
Beach adjacent to Award Winning Sewage Treatment Plant:
Coupeville
“Clams, mussels and oysters CLOSED year-round.”
“This beach is within the closure area for a sewage treatment plant outfall and is unsafe for recreational shellfish harvesting.”
Source: WDFW
Love to see newspeople ask:
When is the last time all of Penn Cove was safe for recreational shellfish harvest?
Zero questions from small or large newspapers. Zero questions from TV newspeople.
In the news- example number two:
$6.3 million in federal cash for a used hotel.
Any questions from newspeople?
December 8, 2022 The Daily World
Dept. of Ag invests $6.3M to purchase Ocean Shores hotel
$6.3 million “to fund the acquisition of an existing hotel. Marathon Enterprises Inc. is located in Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor County, Washington. The project is expected to result in saving eight jobs and creating one full time job.”
Zero questions from small or large newspapers. Zero questions from TV newspeople.
The small papers will say they need more support from subscribers and advertising dollars or cash from the federal government to stay alive. All this because COVID or the internet or lack of newspaper sales, or a free and independent press that needs taxpayer support.
People who take no public funds, private donations or advertising dollars are free to ask questions at any time. Why not the press? Call for unpaid volunteers and you’d get better news coverage than what we have now.
I’d be more interested in paying (again) for a local paper subscription if there was more in the way of newspeople asking questions.
No sense in subscribing to newspapers that do not ask public policy-related questions.
JFK speaks about the role of the press in a free society:
Sports Culture Tends To Be More Honest
Think of an NFL game. Coaches and quarterbacks face the press after every game and answer questions, win or lose.
No press secretary. No public relations spokesperson. No freedom of information act requests. No classified documents.
Instant replays, commentary in the broadcast booth, analysis from network studios, sports talk radio, etc. Fans get tons of info all of the time. No chance for conspiracy theories to develop. Missed calls by NFL officials may be discussed for weeks on end. No such thing as: “We can’t comment on an ongoing investigation.” Instant replay is for all to see. Sports writers are OK with being critical of coaches, teams, players, the rule book, the league, referees, team owners, when the season starts and ends, etc. This is what a free and independent press looks like.
US Armed Forces – Less Honest
In sports, coaches get fired for poor play. Not so much in the US Armed Forces.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces. The Cold War ended in the early 90s. The Pentagon was happy with the All Volunteer Force.
Look what they did with it.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Understandable why young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this.
August 26, 2023 by Bracing Views
W.J. Astore
The Most Fundamental Problem with the U.S. Military
Question for the uniparty press:
Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?
Related:
Information Suppression – The Press is Weak
Land of Information Suppression
The country struggles with: