Put Your Standards Where Your Mouths Are!

Once again, important issues are being pushed off the front page in favor of
selections from the seedier side of life. The main-stream press and high
blogsphere are having field-days with Senators Craig and Vitter. While
Senator Craig's guilt looks in-question to me, Senator Vitter's has been
confessed. Still, do these things need to be discussed to the extent to
which they are? Day after day, the same stale sound bites followed by the
same tired analyses. Why? To sell papers or ads and keep us interested.
Hey, sex sells, and no one knows that better than a journalist. When it
comes to influencing public opinion, the press puts Madison Avenue to shame.

It isn't just sex, however, that sells. Financial misdealings, money in the
freezer, war records (or lack thereof), birthday party wishes, drugs,
partying children, plagiarism. The list goes on. I'm not condoning
immoral, unethical or illegal behavior, but all the coverage does make
innocence rather irrelevant. People are tried and convicted in the press
and the not-guilty never seem to get separated from the guilty. Certainly,
the press never attacks vindicating and apologizing with the same zeal they
attack accusing. Why? Again, guilt sells, innocence bores. To some caught
in the crossfire, it doesn't seem fair, but that's the way life goes, I
guess. Especially in politics.

While it's true that we want our elected officials to be people of high
merit, we can't expect them to be any less human and fallible than
ourselves. People make mistakes and within reason, we need to try to
forgive, or at the very least, be somewhat understanding. Lets not forget
that elected officials are also fellow citizens. Just because they chose to
serve doesn't mean they should forfeit all rights to privacy. And let's
face it, illegalities and ethics issues aside, many of the things discussed
are private matters - best left out of print and off the record. Some of
the issues brought to light are just ridiculous. It's one thing to try to
defend against something worthy of a fight, but how do you defend against
the absurd? It makes me realize the truth in the saying "Anyone truly
qualified for a political office doesn't want it." Can you blame them? If
we want people to continue step forward and serve, they need to have some
assurances that they will not be convicted solely on accusation - especially
stupid ones, and if they do make some mistakes, that they'll be given the
chance to apologize and/or make amends.

But if people who are supposed to serve the public trust are to be held to a
higher standard, where does that leave journalists? Aren't they, too,
supposed to serve the public trust? Don't they, too, have a responsibility
for fairness, restraint, honesty and integrity? If they are going to
question other's ethics and morals, shouldn't theirs be subject to similar
scrutiny? So to the people of the press, before you ask your next
accusatory question or write your next career ending article, ask yourself
"is it worth it?" "Who else will be hurt by what I say or write and do they
deserve it?" "Is it journalism, or sensationalism?" "Am I serving the
public trust or just trying to sell papers and maybe win a Pulitzer?" More
importantly, ask yourself if you are truly qualified to stand in judgment of
others. Ask yourself if you could pass a similar personal test. Do you
truly have the moral high ground? It's time you apply the same standards to
yourselves that you apply to others. Subject yourselves to that through
which you put others. I, for one, don't believe you have the stomachs, or
empty closets for it.