Just when you start to think.................................

Just when you think the Monitor editorial staff has come to their senses, reality hits you like foul ball at the baseball park.

I read the latest editorial: “A day to measure the health of democracy” in the Monitor and Ray Duckler’s opinion piece masquerading as a news piece: “In public, he hears whining”.

A Day to Measure the Health of Democracy

On the first editorial I started to nod in amazement and approval at some of the comments. I started to smile as someone from the Monitor…yes the Monitor, quoted Abraham Lincoln calling for praise of those who have served this country calling our country “the last, best hope of Earth.”

Then I was giggling as they were in full support of reading the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths………Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” My mind raced as I thought, ‘these guys really get it!’

Just about fainting away, I found myself in agreement of yet another point. The editors wrote: “It would be a time for the nation’s historians and constitutional scholars to weigh in, not its political parties and their partisans.” Now my heart was racing and I was light headed at the thought that, finally, the Monitor got it right!

Next, the editorial staff stepped up to the plate and wrote: “How do we, as students, not scholars, see the state of American democracy on July 4, 2008? It clearly remains the best hope of Earth.” That was a swing and a long fly ball….going…..going….going….FOUL!

Yes, in the very next paragraph that sophomoric pie-eyed idealism propagated by the current junta running the Monitor reared its ugly head.

In one breath they addressed the need to keep partisanship out of our assessment of our democracy and then they parroted far Left talking points over the next four paragraphs. Those are the points I would like to address.

Democracy has not suffered setbacks due to illegal presidential powers. Yes, “national security” has been front and center but the incarceration of people without a trial has not been used against citizens on our soil. The privacy of the general citizenry has not been invaded. No one is listening to any ordinary citizen’s phone calls; they are listening to terrorist calls from overseas coming in to citizens who are receiving these calls.

The implied charge by the Monitor that democracy is endangered by the diminishment of newspapers and other forms of gathering and disseminating information that citizens can consider reliable is silly. (Newspapers are suffering a circulation fate that I will discuss later on this blog and as a hint, it is due to many of the points I make here.)

This train of thought comes from organizations like Move On, Think Progress, Media Matters and these groups perpetuate the disinformation and “propaganda” that they claim to be trying to stop. The Monitor editorial staff is correct about another thing when they wrote: “Democracy depends on an active citizenry informed by facts not propaganda.” Agreed….but the Monitor editorial piece took a stroll down the road that they feel is the opposite of democracy; employing talking points from the DNC and the Left in place of the facts!

Duckler’s News Story?

Was Ray Duckler’s story; “In public he hears whining” a front page news story or an opinion piece? Unfortunately, I was 1800 miles away and read it on line so I did not have the benefit of seeing in for myself on the front page of the Monitor. In any event, it was not identified as an opinion piece.

Duckler’s politics, like many others at the Monitor is predictably definable. I can say that I did agree with his viewpoint that Phil Gramm was dead wrong. Gramm should be disqualified from any McCain administration should that come to pass. He is out of touch and his comments showed just how much he really misses the point.

People are hurting with oil and food prices growing out of control in a sagging economy. The comments by those interviewed were very appropriate and fitting to the topic.

I hope that the folks interviewed also realize that their best chance to realize some relief and get the economy fixed is to allow drilling on real estate where we know there is oil and to get started now and not to raise taxes and add federal infrastructure. Yes, an Obama administration would just prolong this economic agony; probably worsen it will more expensive programs.

My issue is with Duckler’s style of writing this article? Opinion piece? It was tasteless to write Whaaaaaa! , four times and add personal observation after each one; devolving into juvenilia. Was this news or an opinion?

Yes, Gramm was wrong but I would think journalistically, that this piece was what you would expect from a high school reporter or on a partisan blog.

I know Duckler’s writing is praised by many, but consider the fact that newspaper circulation is declining nationwide. Has anyone considered that it might be because editorial spills over into the news section? If you can't trust the news for reasons perceived or otherwise............

That was a lesson learned years ago by the other statewide newspaper, the Union Leader. It still happens in a less obvious way today but Duckler is the most obvious of what the editorial staff at the Monitor do; allow their emotion to infect the news content; especially in the last few weeks. Duckler’s piece belonged on the opinion page, plain and simple.

Couple that with the fact that you now need the Hubble telescope to read the comics (the only thing in the newspaper that does not create angst) and one has to ask; what is going on at the monitor??????????

I am a fan of the Monitor although I seldom agree with their editorial assessment on most issues. Unlike the New York Times or Washington Post that place stories of success in Iraq on page 34, while reporting stories excoriating conservatives and championing progressives like opinion pieces on the first pages the Monitor covers most news stories up front; for the most part. The Monitor is principled as they allow a forum for disagreement and debate. However, of late, their editorial view is leaking through the curtain on their stage.

It would be interesting to know who the editorial staff is and understand their life and world experience to be able to assess the validity of their opinions. After all, they have the biggest soap box in the room and the use of that can have untold impact on citizens whether "facts" are used or not! I hope that the agenda leak in the news pieces diminishes.

On the editorial page, their gush for progressive thought and values exposes their political leanings. Often this shadows the balance on the newsworthy reporting piece, leaving readers to suspect that the news content reported in the Monitor might not exactly be, free of slant.

It would be great to have untainted news and information that voters could trust and I don't think that is much to ask of any newspaper.

As the Monitor editorial staff wrote: “Democracy depends on an active citizenry informed by facts not propaganda.” in their editorial: “A day to measure the health of democracy”. They also must define, without prejudice and partisanship exactly with the “facts´ are to ensure that principle.

Unfortunately, if Duckler’s piece is any indication, I do not think that lofty approach will be practiced by the Monitor anytime soon. I would hate to see their professionalism reach the lows of the Washington Post or New York Times where agenda rules the news in an attempt to sway opinion to one viewpoint!

Time will tell but the latest regime is not off to a great start.  Professionalism would dictate zero tolerance of agenda peering through the veil of factual, hard news.