A Truly Weak Culture In Terms of Newspeople Asking Questions

Today’s American culture is truly weak in terms of newspeople asking questions.

Operating A Camera In A Public Place

A private citizen response to a mainstream media that functions like paid actors reading a script:

Today, TV newspeople function like paid actors reading a script.

Mainstream TV News:

Would any newsperson ever ask:

Did the advantage of US air power allow the undeclared wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to be prevented, won or shut down?

US jet aircraft have been able to strike targets in what wars won by the US?

Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?

Has dressing women to look like men had any positive or negative impact on recruiting?

Would any newsperson ever ask:

US Troops sent to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., are somehow defending the constitution?

If US Troops were never sent to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., what would have become of American rights and freedoms and the US constitution?

Would any newsperson ever ask:

The US Dept. of Defense (established after WWII, in the late 1940s) has been associated with what wars won by the US?

“FBI Special Agents and professional staff at @FBIJacksonville and local partners participated in the #22PushupChallenge, which recognizes the 22 U.S. veterans lost to suicide each day and honors military service members.”

“…22 U.S. veterans lost to suicide each day…”

Would any newsperson ever ask:

Does any federal agency or department advocate for less in the way of undeclared/unwon wars?

In the news:

Biden honors Americans who ‘stood on the front lines of freedom’ in Veterans Day remarks

CNN Nov 11, 2023

Would any newsperson ever ask:

Mr President,

Going back to the 1990 Operation Desert Shield,

How would American freedoms today be any different if US troops were never sent to Iraq?

Would any newsperson ever ask:

How would American freedoms today be any different if US troops were never sent to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Bosnia, etc.

Would any newsperson ever ask:

Candidate ____________,

Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.

What would be your role in all this?

Newspeople Not Asking Questions

The press stopped asking questions a while back. People go to social media to share ideas. People are OK with basic rules such as:

No hate speech, insults, threats, foul language, attacking other commenters, etc. These are rules that make sense.

Today, social media posts are suppressed, filtered, censored and shadow banned. Will social media die out? What will become of the press?

Private citizens are stepping in and going out with a camera to see and document what is going on.

Instead of waiting for school teachers to teach about individual rights and limited government authority, waiting on the press to ask questions, or courts to handle cases, these guys go out and update us with a quick reality check.

Also not waiting on the overthrow of Saddam Hussein or the take down of the next bad guy in distant lands, as DOD defends the constitution, etc.

Videos recorded at or outside of sites that are funded by the public seem to be best for documenting these issues.

Any TV newsperson could go out and educate the public on their rights/public official’s obligation to provide info, etc. That does not happen.

Mainstream Press

In recent years, 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

Would any newsperson ever 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 Ocean Shores 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: