Once in TV journalism there were people called assignment editors and news directors. Among their responsibilities was to instruct reporters and camera crews which stories they were to cover that day. Their choices were based on several factors that included what they regarded as news, viewer interest (i.e., ratings), and much more subtly, their own biases. When I began my journalism career as a reporter, there were only three broadcast networks and local TV and radio stations. The radio stations played music and reported local news. The news was what these gatekeepers said it was. When the broadcast TV networks went from 15-minute newscasts to 30 minutes, some expressed fear there wouldn’t be enough news to fill the time.
Then, the news was considered serious business. We would cover congressional hearings and presidential press conferences. There would be stories about crime, and news from Europe and Asia reported by “bureau chiefs” who were full-time correspondents. Mostly, though, it was subjects considered of importance to America, a type of “eat your vegetables” approach. Yes, the times changed and much of the media today appears to be more opinion than facts, more infotainment than news.
The power to ignore is still the greatest power major media has and few issues demonstrate that more than the trouble at our southern border.
The latest example is reporting by Angie Wong in the Post. Wong traveled to Mission, Texas, and reported that after being “processed,” migrants are given color-coded folders to the city of their destination. She says she saw airplane tickets to Atlanta, Houston, Newark, and New York. The folder, she writes, also includes “… a U.S. passport looking booklet, cash, prepaid credit cards, travel itineraries and an English translation card,” which asks people to help the migrant find the right flight.
Furthermore, observed Wong, each migrant receives “a set of clothing … a blanket, a pillow-sized bag of shelf-life food and a carry-on travel bag. Some have received cellphones.”
All of this is presumably paid for by American taxpayers. Wong further notes “their handlers get through immigration and security with just a flash of documents, whereas all other passengers had to show identification.” She says she was told the handlers are members of non-government organizations (NGOs) and churches.