Hey Media, Perhaps the President isn't that into you

Ah, the poor mass media is feeling like the girl who doesn’t get asked to dance as President Obama is taking his “press” conference to the American people. Personally, here’s my take for what it’s worth. With the media today, how can you possibly trust the news is being presented honestly? So if you have a message to the people, and you don’t trust the messenger, go direct; cut out the middle man. In the age of the internet and social networking, the media needs to be careful or they can find themselves completely irrelevant. If your message can be broadcast direct with little to no cost, without having someone twist or distort, why go through the media? Going through the media today, is like trying to communicate with your fellow employees through the company gossip.

As mentioned previously, I have personally witnessed three different versions of the same story on the different news networks. Who do you believe? Do you believe the one that affiliates with your personal political party? Do you watch and trust the one with the best graphics and special effects, or the star personalities? And how as a nation can we unite to solve today’s issues, if we have to sort through media crap. Someone once said to me, who had a family member in the military, “You would be shocked what our government is actually doing in the world?” This was in 1988, you can imagine what our government has done in the past couple decades. Meaning, the American people are pretty much left in the dark in regards to the news.

Today, in regards to the Tuesday’s presidential press conference, CNN Ed Henry set the example of what I believe of what is wrong in journalism. The challenge was why did it take President Obama so quick to react to the AIG bonus? The quick retort from President Obama, “I like to understand a situation before I speak.” Wow, what a concept; thinking before you speak. But of course to save face Ed Henry and CNN promoted as a gaffe. What I’d like to point out, the media and the news is looking for headlines, quick bites and gaffes to broadcast and spin. They’re not looking for answers, they want the scoop and they want to paint in a headline. They want entertainment and they are to improve their ratings.

So today, the unprecedented Presidential internet press conference, President Obama addressed Americans direct questions, that weren’t spun by news reporters to support their political or corporate agenda. It was refreshing and now Americans can say we truly have a voice in our nation. And if people in the media were smart, they may wise up and start having some accountability in their reporting.