Newsweek Troubles

So, I'm not exactly breaking news when I speak of the Newsweek scandle that has broken out in the past few days, but I do want to "sound off" because, quite frankly, this is way more than just a f*&# up.

Blogfather Glenn Reynolds, doing what he does best, has a rather conclusive roundup of reactions surrounding the developments. It's been hard to find anyone to defend their boo-boo (hyperbole-hysteria boy not withstanding), and the facts remain clear: Newsweek chose to run a story based on dubious information that turned out to be objectively false. The end result inflamed a large amount of Muslims and has even led to people being killed. Despite their early reluctance, Newsweek has fessed up, realizing that they cannot back up their story.

To me, the subjective analysis is also clear; it looks like American troops, who have been doing the tough, slog of slowly winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim population, have been set back as their enemies have been given propoganda to fuel further hatred towards America. These soldiers will literally be standing on the frontlines, dealing with these repercussions in the forms of bombs and bullets.

Media bias is something I don't spend a whole lot of energy on as I know it's there, and I filter everything I read through my B.S. detector. I'm afraid if I let my blood boil everytime I read an editorialized piece of news, I'd have a heart attack and a stroke, while shooting sulfur flames out of top of my skull before I hit 30. Anyway, aside from my biological issues, I highly recommend you read Ian Wood's post on this subject as it is the best articulation on the responsibility of handling media bias that I have read. He says:

One of the key components of a classical education in 5th-century Athens was rhetoric. The study of the verbal bow, the accompanying shield and quiver of arrows, and the techniques of their proper use allowed an educated person to spot the aforementioned bovine fecal matter when it issued forth from the mouth of a politician, an orator, a philosopher, or the local loudmouth at the baths. Such study served as a defense against infection by bad ideas and allowed for escape from poorly-constructed logical traps. In short, it equipped the student with much of the intellectual arsenal that he required to think for himself.

Those who argue today for a reduction or elimination of media bias, to be somehow carried out by the media itself so as to maintain its illusory independence, are the equivalent of a 5th-century Athenian arguing that anyone who made a speech had a duty to present only the undisguised truth and make no attempt to sway his audience with any rhetorical tricks.

However, this Newsweek story, which birthed itself out of bias against the current President and his policies, goes beyond mere slant. They are accusations that have led to the deaths of many, and will only prolong this fight. This is akin to someone yelling "fire" in a crowded movie theatre where, regardless of the intentions and shady nature of the big-mouth involved, the damage has been done. The question at this point isn't whether or not Newsweek ran a false story, it's whether they intentionally tried to produce a chaotic event with their false narrative. If this is the case, I agree with Wretchard, that this should be grounds for serious punishment, beyond loss of employment, against culprits involved in cooking up this scheme.