Herd Journalism

I've used the term "herd journalism" over the years to mean just that: a herd of reporters following the same story in the same way.
My close attention to the happenings in Iraq over the last few weeks has given me a better understanding of the term. It is this: national and international news reporters take their leads on following a story from the way another reporter has already reported the same story.
The result is the reporter gets his or her story that is the same as the previous story, though it may be from a different source or sources. That is because the reporter asks the same questions the earlier reporter asked. The result is the same old story paraded onto the air or into the news columns as news--over and over and over again!
A good example came the other night when I saw Christiane You-know-who of CNN. She did a story on some part of Iraq, Sunni as I recall. When she finished her story: she did not have a new story. She had a re-hash of dozens of other stories along the same vein: that the Sunnis would not be voting in heavy numbers, if at all in the upcoming election. How many times had I heard that? Hundreds, probably.
So, I try to understand this? Why would she report the same story in the same way that someone else had already reported? I don't have a conclusion except to say she doesn't know what she's doing, she is burned-out or whoever gave her the assignment is burned out or bored or unimaginative.
I used to have a city editor who did that: he'd clip stories out of the afternoon paper (our competition) and hand them out to our reporters (which put out the morning paper). So, he did the same thing the news services are doing now.
A day or two after I saw that story by Christiane what's-her-name, I saw a story by the same reporter, or the start of it. I quickly flipped the channel because I already knew her story! All she had to do was say the first few words, and I had it. So, why keep following it?
A good example of what I mean in the last few days was the line or two about the low voting in the Sunni areas and how that might lead to a government in Iraq that was not representative enough of all its people. How many times have I read or heard that idea? Hundreds again.
Another "pick up line" in most of the stories is how the "Sunnis boycotted the election. I find that a little hard to believe since especially in areas like Mosul, terrorists had pasted signs all over the place warning people that if they tried to vote they would be killed. So, "boycott" does not seem the correct word, though it is used often as if it were fact.
Yet, I've seen dozens of stories pegged to that idea.
The ideas almost become "folklore," in a way, in that they are picked up, true or not, and then carried as true by every reporter who follows the same story.
Another good example of this was a story in USA Today not long ago which referred to hard feelings in Falluja towards the American soldiers because of an incident in which American soldiers killed "civilians." I remembered that story. I remember someone talking to the young American army lieutenant (though it could have been a Marine) who was there the night the Iraqis were killed by American fire. The army lieutenant described the situation where his unit had moved into a school. That act was followed by a protest by some shouting Iraqis---and some other Iraqis who lurked behind the shouting Iraqis who were armed and firing into the school at the Americans. The Americans returned fire and killed some of the Iraqis, maybe not all of those who'd fired the guns.
That whole idea, of the terrorists hiding in a school full of children or a group of civilians, and firing at Americans seems to be common among terrorists. It was in Vietnam, in Somalia, Kuwait and now Iraq.
I recall the young American lieutenant, in speaking about the night of the attacks on his unit in the school, describing the fight as being "like the battle of the Alamo."
Yet, the media continues, when it chances to mention the incident, portray it as an incident in which American soldiers killed innocent Iraqis. Give me a break!
Tips for reporters:
Don't look through the "clips" for background, pick up something that cannot be proven and build a story around it!
Get original. Do not believe anything anyone else has reported. Challenge anyone who tells you anything--to prove what they say. American, Iraqi, you name it. Don't challenge just to challenge, but challenge to try to get the truth which is often illusive.
Don't go into any story with a pre-conceived idea of what you will find. If you do, you will find it because your questions will follow that pre-conceived idea.
Don't lead every story out of Iraq with what the terrorists are doing! I'd like to know what the Americans, the Iraqis are doing, too. Most of the time, the terrorists are the lead and anything else is buried in the bottom of the story.
Don't take sides. Get both sides of a story or all sides of a story, and if your story is one that has already been reported 100 times, forget it! You got a bad tip! You are wasting my time and yours!

Good story!

My niece Stephanie plays with something on the carpet beside me as I recline on the sofa watching television.
"Stephanie," I say, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Stephanie is eight years old.
She doesn't even look up, she just says, "The tooth fairey!"
I didn't know what to say at first, then truly impressed, I just say, "Way to go, Stephanie! I hope you make it!"

Cancer patient gets help from a family pet: a dog!

I met a fellow at the golf course a few years ago, like you do when you show up and the starter pairs you up with someone. The man had just gone through a terrible bout with chemotherapy as doctors tried to cure him of cancer he told me as we played the course. He also told me of help he received from an unlikely source: his family pet, a dog.
I heard his story and asked him to email it to me. He did, but I never heard from him again. So, I have no idea what happened to him.
Good story.

Since I'm at the computer, I thought I would take a moment and
relay the information we discussed while playing golf. (I enjoyed
the golf, and hope I can relay the story better than I play golf.
Considering how I play golf, it certainly shouldn't take much...)

Everyone is different. Cancer takes many forms and causes people
to react and feel differently. Your reactions will coincide with
your past health, relationships and perspective of the world.

While I was undergoing chemo last year, and for a full year, the
things that were important were reduced to a significant few.
Support from your family and making it for another day. I did not
react well to the treatments and was (for lack of a specific
medical term) "sick". It "seemed" that I had ALL the side effects,
and it was very difficult, both mentally and physically.
Physically, I went through a process, for the first time in my life,
where I was at the mercy of my body. I couldn't do things that I
considered normal. Such as mowing the yard (cutting the grass around his house), going to the store, and playing golf. It wasn't that I just couldn't do these things, it was I couldn't physically do these things. It wasn't a matter of take an aspirin and feeling better in the morning, it was take
the medicine (chemo) and feel worse and look like a sick person.
Everything seemed to be backwards. Eat and feel sick, don't eat and
feel sick. Force yourself to get some exercise (like walk around
the block or even just to the mailbox) and feel worse. It seemed
sometimes you had to remind yourself to breath. Things were just
not natural. In fact you, at some point, had to redefine natural
and "normal".

Mentally you had difficulty focusing on even the most mundane
tasks. Like should I brush my teeth now or later? Reading and
watching TV was possible, but difficult in maintaining a train of
thought for long periods. Mentally you would wonder can I make it
to the next day? Expecting the worse and heaping large amount of
pity on yourself became common. I took chemo every 3 weeks, would
feel bad for two; and then when I "started" to feel better would
realize I would have to get another treatment and would feel bad
again. It becomes very lonely, because when your white blood count
goes down and your immune system at risk human and social contact
has to be limited. My social life became having my blood count
taken twice a week and getting chemo at the doctor's office. (If
truth be known, some of the best conversations and insight were
with the people while you are taking chemo.) You don't know how
you are going to feel (physically) 10 minutes from now. So time
was not necessarily your friend.

Support is very important, but difficult. If you are use to seeing
a problem and "fixing" it and taking the male road of not asking
for directions or help. Then accepting support is difficult. The
people close to you are not sure how to act or react and you can
feel their discomfort in their attempt to show their caring. And
to be honest, sometimes you don't want to spend the energy talking
on the phone or entertaining visitors. Over a period of time the
person closest to you, will learn and accept, to a large degree,
how you are and basic needs. But you will feel a degree of
"guilt", because you find you are "getting" and giving almost
nothing.

This prolog leads to the main point of something I discovered,
during my period of treatments. We have a dog that has been with
us for almost 10 years. The dog was, without a doubt, my wife's
friend. I acknowledged the dog, and we respected each other's
space, but if he was to run away it would probably be days before I
realized he was gone and would not feel any real loss. As I got
sick and went through treatments I, didn't at first, but later
noticed a subtle change in his actions. The dog began to follow me
and stay in the same room, whereas before I was something to be
ignored. If I was asleep he wouldn't bark, which was not natural
for him. He knows that the house is his, except he is not to get
on our bed, and he hasn't for the time he has been with us. When I
was running a fever for a couple of days, he got on the bed, and I
would wake up with him laying beside me. He would continue this
pattern, and would somehow know when I was sick or just tired. The
dog is independent, as far as dog can be, and would rarely get on
the same piece of furniture. If I was on the couch he was on the
chair, etc. When I was sick he would get as close to me as
possible, but when I was feeling better he would maintain his past
behavior. The dog would look at me and seem to understand... and
react. He began to ignore my wife and check on me before he went
outside. After a time, he became the reason to get up and move
about. He would listen, without judgment, to complaints and moans
and groans. The dog was being an unqualified care giver.

A person, no matter how understanding and caring, can and will get
tired of the burden of someone constantly ill. They at some point
will need a break or to find time for their life. The dog on the
other hand had no limits or restrictions on his time. I became his
hobby or job. His attention was unwavering and his capacity for
being available and concern was sincere and constant.

I have not had chemo for six months now; am gaining strength; and
have gone back to work. The dog is in the living room asleep,
while I'm in another room on the computer. As I recovered, he
slowly went back to his ways and reestablished our former
relationship of peaceful (and separate) coexistence.

I don't know if this dog or my experience was unique, but I would
think that in the dark days of cancer part of the support mechanism
might be the friends, family and the recommendation of a pet. A
low maintenance, slightly older dog certainly was of significant
value to me.

Tip Toe Around the Moslems?

One of the most frequently heard worries is that the US will do something to upset the Moslems. That seemed to be the concern in the aid to Indonesia after the terrible earthquake.
I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little tired of hearing this carrying on!
Why? I do not know a single Moslem--that I know of. I do not have anything against any Moslem--except those who keep killing people in the name of God or those behind all the planes that flew into buildings in the US three years ago to kill, kill, kill--also in the name of God.
So, in my view, it is time to lighten up! It is not time to bow and kow-tow to the Moslems or particularly worry about their feelings when I don't know of a single American who has done anything to any of them--except try to help them. And, that, by the way is always the purpose of American policy regards the Arabs, the Israelis, the Germans, the Japanese, well, you name it. Now, that said, the attempts to help are not always the right way to help, but the intentions are always the same: to help.
So, when it comes back to that concern about Americans upsetting or insulting Moslems or their religion, I am not concerned. It simply does not happen. Anyone who says it does is like Don Quioxte fighting windmills.
So, the time of apologizing to Moslems for what we do has to be in the past. We must still respect them and their relgion, but we should expect them to respect us as Americans--and the religion of those who have one. This should be done not beause they are Moslems and only some Americans are but because we are all humans, and all humans deserve the respect of other human beings.

A "spec 4" -- You gotta be kiddin'

I chanced to get a look at the fellow on trial at Ft. Hood (I think) for allegedly mis-treating prisoners in Iraq. I also chanced to glance at his rank: specialist 4th class! Spec 4!
Someone has to be kidding!
A specialist 4th class in that big of trouble? How could a spec 4 possibly have the responsibility, authority or whatever it took to do the things of which he is accused!
Someone has to be kidding!
And, a reservist at that?
Someone has to be kidding!
Then I see they have a prisoner testifying--by tape!
You have to be kidding?
With all the transportation available and as fast as you can move people around, why can't the prisoner who the Spec 4 supposedly abused be in the court room?
You have to be kidding?
Is it show or what?
It has to be. It can be nothing else. It cannot be real!
Oh, wait, I hear a second lieutenant is waiting in the wings for the next trial.
His will, not doubt, prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the military has gone after all the bad guys in the prison scandal.
This has to be a situation comedy, right?
I mean this cannot be for real!

Palestinians praise terrorists who kill them!

Just read through a couple of stories about an Israeli tank shell hitting a garden in the Gaza Strip and killing some people picking strawberries. The implication is, of course, the Israelis are terrible for doing such things--and the Palestinian politicians say as much.
Then I read another story that says the Israelis were firing at a spot in the orchard where Palestinian terrorists were launching missles into Israel--with the object of killing Isreaelis. I further read the Palestinian missle launchers were placed in the midst of the farmers. The object, obviously, being to bet the Israelis would not fire at civilians or, if they did, they would be blamed for being terrorists. The actual terrorists who'd drawn the fire and actually killed the farmers would simply fade away.
Similar things happen in Iraq: terrorists hide in mosques, store arms in them, fire from them and even have the support of supposed holy men when they do. They even steal from mosques, as in the case of Najaf last spring. Yet, somehow, in the Arab media theses things are not reported.
These terrorists do the same thing with hospitals--or any place that the rest of the world would regard as off-limits for war.
Yet, the Arab media, the Arab politicians, complain like anything when American or coalition troops respond to shots fired from a mosque or a hospital. Two standards: the holy people of Islam and the "infidels." Strange standards to those of us in the US.
The tendency in the US is to always help the down-trodden. Our country is filled with families who arrived with only hope in their hearts. So, when stories of the lives of refugees in the Gaza Strip and other places around Israel reach our ears, we want to sympathize with them. Yet, when we hear stories like the above and of the Palestinian and Arab politicans and media supporting and encouraging such actions, we cannot sympathize with them because we cannot sympathize with dishonest people. Palestinian terrorists, terrorists in Iraq and the world over are dishonest. Those who support them, including the leading Palestinian and Arab politicians and religious leaders, must be, too.
I see no end to the Arab-Israeli situation--because of the Muslims and Arabs and the terrorists they support. If the terrorists win, the whole world loses.

Vietnam War vs. "Bonanza"

Two wars ago, if you skip Kosovo, Somalia, Panama and Grenada, there was the Vietnam War.
I was in that war as a newspaper reporter, and as such was probably one of the few people who enjoyed the war. Vietnam is in an exotic clime, and when people started shooting, I could leave!
Many stories come to mind about my time in Vietnam, but the strange ones are the ones that hang with you the longest.
Here is one of the strange ones that still has me scratching my head for some reason.
The story begins with a beautiful, story book trip on a helicopter (Huey) from Cam Ranh Bay to Chulai, both large military bases on the South China Sea.
Most of the way to Chulai the pilot flew over the stunningly blue water--to keep out of range of enemy gunners who might be on the ground. Flying in the helicopter with its doors open made you feel as if you were truly a part of the beautiful Vietnamese country side we flew over. I still remember being so close to the ground that once I waved to a man plowing his rice field with a water buffalo. The man looked up and waved back.
Another time the pilot suddely banked the craft in a sharp u-turn--so sharp that I felt had I not been buckled into my seat I'd slide right out into the water directly below. He flew back over a tiny island, and looking down I saw why he turned around. There was a volcano crater in the center of the island. Everyone on the helicopter who had a camera took a photo of the crater, then the pilot flew on.
It was dark by the time we reached Chulai, and as we neared the military base the pilot flew the helicopter around a peninsula of land. One of the crew members told me the Vietnamese town on the peninsula was the birth place of Ho Chi Minh, apparently still a hot bed of Vietnamese insurgency.
As we neared the big American base at Chulai, I saw a fire fight going on just south of the base perimeter. The pilot flew into the base from the north, following one of those metal runways the helicopters use and settled into a parking spot.
The pilot turned off the helicopter engine, but it was not silent. We could now hear all the gunfire and exploding bombs and grenades from the fire fight just over the perimeter fence, maybe 200 yards away.
I stood waiting for the crew to put the helicopter to bed, and I looked at the fireworks in the dark sky from the firefight. I was the only one, however, who seemed interested in the life and death battle going on so close. No one else even paused to look that direction.
The crew walked back down the runway to their hooches, just off the runway. I trailed along as one of the crew members had offered me a cot for the night in his hooch.
We reached his hooch and just inside in a sort of front room, a soldier was watching something on the wall to my left. I looked: it was a television. I looked again and could tell he was watching "Bonanza," the television western. I looked back at the door, and, sure enough, the firefight still raged with all sorts of fireworks lighting up the sky and the sound of explosions very loud.
For some reason, it struck me that someone among us ought to go out and give a hand to those people in the firefight--ours.
The fellow watching "Bonanza," was the only one to comment about the firefight, and he simply said after a glance in that direction, "I wish those guys would quiet it down out there so I can watch my program."