Vigilante Journalism

Some day political archaeologists will dig through the ruins of America searching for events that led up to America’s Great Tipping Point: how the Rule of Law was replaced by the Rule of Feel. Hopefully, they’ll start by poking around whatever remains of so-called “journalism schools” as well as the several headquarters of the Main Stream Media, unindicted co-conspirators of Factual Obfuscation and Public Perjury which together constructed the popular narrative that conditioned the populace to accept adrenalin over reason: “I Feel” vs. “I Think”.

The much-anticipated, pre-arranged, Government-sponsored, taxpayer funded hyperventilation of sloganeering crowds reacting badly to the unquestionably accurate verdict in the media-hyped Trayvon Martin - George Zimmerman show trial didn’t fail to disappoint those glued to the tube for the Evening Nooze. The One-Eyed God delivered with perfection a super-sized portion of mis - and disinformation and outright lies smothered in vitriol with the customary side-order of celebrity hubris, heavy on the narcissism and served Extra Loud. Who could ask for anything more?

An “Extra-Added” never-before-seen feature was the First American President To Inject Himself in the First American Stalinist “Show Trial”. As PJ Media's Roger Simon puts it:

“By injecting himself in a minor Florida criminal case by implying Martin could be his son, the president of the United States — a onetime law lecturer, of all things — disgraced himself and his office, made a mockery of our legal system and exacerbated racial tensions in our country, making them worse than they have been in years. This is the work of a reactionary, someone who consciously/unconsciously wants to push our nation back to the 1950s.

It is also the work of a narcissist who thinks of himself first, of his image, not of black, white or any other kind of people. It’s no accident that race relations in our country have gone backwards during his stewardship.”

Put more succinctly: Barack Obama is responsible for the most dramatic decrease in a nation's standing since Alderaan was blown up by the Death Star.

But apparently, the “could have been my son” comment didn’t go quite far enough. Interrupting regular programming this day (something not done by all networks), the administration’s media handmaiden, ABC News decided their dwindling audience needed to hear the President’s personal comments about the African-American’s perspective on the trial and verdict. Of course, President’s unrestrained narcissism was in full bloom:

“That includes me," he said

                     “That happens to me, at least before I was a senator.”

                          "Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago," 

Based on his earlier comment, that would indicate Obama could have been his own son. How cool is that?

But I digress. What to do to help our intrepid future truth-seekers discover the “reason for the fall”?

Invariably, there is a catalytic ingredient, the Missing Link that explains all.    It’s Vigilante Journalism. 

The late Rodney Dangerfield famously said, “I get no respect”. That sad distinction is now shared with the Rule of Law. In the great linguistic tug of war between “Thinking” and “Feeling”, “Feeling” scores another 10 points in coverage of the George Zimmerman verdict. In the adjoining stadium, the Rule of Law, while winning on a technicality (the law), is poised to relinquish the cherished “Cornerstone of Our Republic” title to the Rule of Feel, thanks to Vigilante Journalism.

The advance of technology vis a vis: handi-cams, flip phones, cell phone cameras, the “citizen journalist” (see: computer…basement…underwear), opinion entitlement while factually challenged all expedited the creation and fan base of our manipulative, facts-be-damned Main Stream Media. The Who-What-Where-When of News morphed into the “I Feel…” of what used to be called Truth and Fact.

Vigilante Journalism, a brilliantly accurate term conjured years ago by Cassie Wilson, veteran journalist, writer and my bride. Facts be damned! Today’s Evening News is reported thus, not to inform but because it will elicit sensational responses, predictably galvanize hatreds and skew perceptions. The Byline, Prime Time exposure, “changing the world for all personkind” is the overriding imperative. Like the song says, the Blow-Dried Set believes… 

We are the world

We are the children 
We are the ones who make a brighter day so keep on watchinnggg…
There's a choice we're making 
We're saving our own jobs 
It's true we’re dumbing down the day 
For you and meee...

Back to you, Chet…

Vigilante Journalism, on display every Sunday morning on broadcast TV,   weekday evenings on cable and 24/7 on my beloved Talk Radio, is the gumbo of Professional Hubris, Inflamed Ego and just a soupcon of Insufferable Condescension, all for the sake of what has become journalism’s 3 R’s: Ratings, Revenue and Resume. 

A well-informed audience served a regular diet of conscientiously supplied facts can lead to a healthy, informed electorate and a robust republic. While Current Events are mercilessly mugged by the Alphabet Soup Network Gang, the heroic Alternative Media – such as the web site you’re visiting right now – is fortunately providing invigorating factual supplements and red meat reality for those curious enough to find it and intellectually adroit to handle it. Vigilante Journalism is simply a tingle looking for a leg to run up. Don’t give it to them – or the Rule of Law will soon become the Law of the Rulers.