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Editor, News-Register:
Earlier this month, I opened my mouth and spoke my mind about a problem with politics, as I see it. Since so many people responded to me about the situation we are experiencing with the news media today, it's only right that I am compelled to offer my solution to the problem.
The problem is that we, the public, are not getting the truth from the mainstream media. They seem to have an agenda of their own and are presenting the news as they wish us to see it and not really as it is. I always thought this was against the them of journalism (pretty much as the doctors' code of do no harm to the patient), but it seems times have changed, so I suspect we need to change with the times.
The wealthy news owners are not going to change just to please us, so someone or something will have to force them to change. Since the First Amendment protects them, I say we simply enforce the First Amendment. We do this by forming a board of reviewers who analyze questionable news releases that seem to be off base, and this is done with a fact checking process.
If a news agency is found guilty of distorting the news, then they would be given a warning. If a second case is found against them, then they are fined (say, $10,000). Should they have a third case brought against them, then they pull their broadcast rights for one year. At the end of one year, the review process starts anew for another 12 months.
I am sure parts of this are going to be touted as illegal, or any number of other things that will be put forward to stop the movement of attempting to clean up the press.
My hope is that by you all reading this, someone of you out there will have an idea that could be made to work. We wish them no harm, just fair business and stop the character assassination that is so prevalent in today's news media. Whoever you are, I hope you have an answer to the problem.
William Blair
Wheeling