When The News Is The News

No matter what you think of journalists, whether they're paid stenographers for the left or right, or failed actors and models regurgitating trivia off of a Teleprompter who couldn't cut it in Hollywood, it is definitely not a cushy job.  And who said it was, anyway?

To get the story that comes through your TV or laptop, a journalist must get through government red tape, "senior Washington officials", uncooperative witnesses, boring media briefings, staged appearances and other places where they're usually not welcome.  Journalists have been arrested, kidnapped, served prison time, physically attacked and even murdered.  Then whatever they have gathered must be vetted through sources (reliable or not) and editors before you see or hear that story.

There are many journalists who have died in the line of duty, mostly while reporting on wars and natural disasters.  No one expects that to happen live on the air while interviewing someone on one of those light, happy morning news broadcasts.  Which is exactly what happened Wednesday morning on WDBJ-TV, the CBS station in Roanoke, Virginia.  An apparently disgruntled former employee of WDBJ opened fire on reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward during a live interview at a local shopping mall.  Parker and Ward are dead, as is the shooter after he posted his own video of the incident on social media.

There have also been running battles between journalists and the politicians they cover.  Who could forget Dan Rather of CBS vs. President Richard Nixon during Watergate, or Sam Donaldson of ABC vs. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan?

Now we have Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who is taking a different tack in confronting reporters covering his campaign.  Trump's feud with Megyn Kelly of Fox News Channel began when he thought the questions she asked at the last GOP debate were less than fair and balanced.  After Kelly returned from some time off to host her nightly TV show, Trump tweeted some uncomplimentary things about her implying that maybe she should have stayed on vacation.  He's also that way whenever a female journalist tries to to interview him, speaking to them in patronizing tones.

Trump's other beef is with Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos.  Ramos was tossed out of Trump's news conference in Iowa this past week for not waiting his turn to ask the great man about his stance on border security and so-called "anchor babies", both of which are really touchy subjects for Ramos' Hispanic audience, for whom polls show have a low opinion of Trump to begin with.

These are just recent examples of what the men and women who cover the stories have to go through so that we--the couch potatoes and basement bloggers of the world--have all the information we need to make up our minds on the issues of the day.  They, more than any soldier who fights wars for the sake of killing for God and country, are the ones who deserve your support.  This is why we have a First Amendment.