PART 1. INTRO & OVERVIEW: A DISASTEROUS EVOLUTION OF OUR TIMES ?“Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free

government: When this support is taken away, the Constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins. Republics and limited monarchies derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the action of the magistrates.” — Benjamin Franklin, U.S. Founding Father

“But none of the means of information are more sacred, or have been cherished with more tenderness and care by the settlers of America, than the press.” — John Adams, second U.S. President

“Freedom of conscience, of education, or speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” — Thomas Jefferson, U.S. Founding FatherAMERICA NEEDS THIS:

NOT THIS::

THE MESSAGE OF AMERICAN HISTORY: CITIZENS RUN OUR NATION. THEY MUST HAVE OBJECTIVE INFORMATION TO DO THAT WISELY. BUT RECENTLY OUR OBJECTIVE INFO IS DETERIORATING RAPIDLY!

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So, why am I picking on the new York Times? Because, a very recent story caught my eye ( see related film clip at right) - - that is disturbing because there is so much discord in the news these days relating to the current political campaigning for America's next President. When I was being educated, in the 50’s, I believe newspapers and news magazines had a reputation for objective honesty and factual reporting. The NY Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Time Magazine were certainly a source of citizen education regarding local and National goings on.School assignments often encouraged and required such sources to be part of the background for doing a good assignment. Radio news was widespread and TV news was certainly making an early appearance. Of course, at that time, computer and internet resources were in a stage of infancy and not a common household resource. Today the situation is vastly different. Information on virtually any topic is readily available to most Citizens.   Why then Is there such widespread ignorance about our history and governance? How is it that TV interviewers can make a living by continually exposing the ridiculously low level of knowledge of young People about: our Founding and Constitution; who represents us in which governmental posts; why Citizens must stay up to date about laws, taxes, foreign policy; etc., etc. And, about why the alternative to investing some time in these subjects is a recipe for future Tyranny. First, a brief look at the film clip.

PART 1. INTRO & OVERVIEW A DISASTEROUS EVOLUTION OF OUR TIMES ?

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One of the answers to this is that much of the Media have abandoned their duty to keep Citizens objectively informed on what’s going on around them. This shouldn’t be the job of just some News Media - - while others can just boldly pick and choose what they wish to tell their audience. That is NOT News. That is story telling at its worst - - because so many readers cannot then discern fact from fiction. Thus, those authors who undertake to “expose” to their readers their own opinion of events - - should not be entitled to the esteemed tribute label of “News”. Of course, our Freedom of Speech guarantees them the right to be heard. There is no quarrel here with that at all. But to call themselves “News Media” or “NewsPapers” is a disservice to America. If the purveyors of non-factual information used the terminology “Opinion Media” or “OpinionPapers"or “Non-News Papers” - - then OK! That is a fairer system. Furthermore, today's technology makes it very easy for readers to tune in to their desirements. With clear labeling, Citizens can just “Google” what they wish from their computer or cell phone. Thus, labels can help.

 So the world is changing - - but Citizens must require that such changes not “erase” their obligation to access “TRUTH” and the obligation of parts of the Media to provide that truth in such a way that Citizens know whether they are reading Truth based on facts and data or Opinion based on philosophy and/or self interest. I like to think our Founders would find such "Non-News" distinctions in public expression to be well within the Constitutional strictures they evolved to protect America from the many centuries of tyranny from which they were trying to rid themselves and their posterity.

PART 2. A BRIEF LOOK AT SOME FURTHER EXAMPLES OF MEDIA BIAS

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JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS AND "CONVICTING" A CONVENIENT POLITICAL TARGET (The TEA PARTY) WITH ZERO FACTS. Actually, Sparkman had hanged himself.

MEDIA BIAS - - 2 of 4 EXAMPLES: Apparent "News" is really "NON-NEWS"

In the wake of the San Bernardino, Ca attack, liberals are in a total panic over guns. The New York Times broke a 95-year precedent to editorialize about gun control on its front page. But the Times seems restrained compared with the full-on meltdown at the New York Daily News, which has taken to calling the head of the NRA a “terrorist.” … My wife grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, where gun ownership was nearly as common and natural as snow-shovel ownership. I grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and I never knew anyone who owned a gun. When my mother was an auxiliary mounted policewoman, she was not permitted to carry one.

The Second Amendment, Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten wrote, is “the refuge of bumpkins and yeehaws who like to think they are protecting their homes against imagined swarthy marauders desperate to steal their flea-bitten sofas from their rotting front porches.” Such smugness doesn’t help, but the real reason the war on guns has been such an abysmal failure is that guns and cigarettes aren’t alike after all. You can’t hunt or, more importantly, defend yourself or your family with a cigarette. That’s why, in the wake of San Bernardino, millions of Americans didn’t think, “We’ve got to get rid of guns.” They thought, “Maybe I should get one.” I know I did.

notes from: JONAH GOLDBERG article, National Review, December 16, 2015

WASHINGTON POST - PURE SPECULATION. ZERO FACTS. As a column, this shouldn't be treated as News - - but it relates to a current news item. Wouldn't a "non-news" label give readers a truer perspective on what's going on?

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Source: "Papers Run Fake Abuse Photos", Roger Aronoff,  May 31, 2004, ACCURACY IN MEDIA

The Boston Globe . . (which at the time was owned by the New York Times) . . published images of photos passed out at a press conference by Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner, that were said to show American soldiers raping Iraqi women.  Someone at the conference with Turner said they had received the photos from a representative of the Nation of Islam.  Turner said, “The American people have a right and responsibility to see the pictures.”

The Globe obviously did no investigation to see if the rape photos were legitimate.  A simple Internet search would have turned up an article that ran on WorldNetDaily.com identifying the photos as having come from a pornographic website and that they were being used by Arab propagandists.  They showed porn actors, depicted as American soldiers, raping “Iraqi women.”  Sherrie Gossett wrote an article for WorldNetDaily blowing the whistle on the Globe and describing how she alerted the paper to the fraud. 

NY TIMES - OUTRIGHT DISTORTING OF QUOTATIONSWhat Bush actually said: Al Qaeda is on the run. That group of terrorists who attacked our country is slowly, but surely being decimated. Right now, about half of all the top al Qaeda operatives are either jailed or dead. In either case, they’re not a problem anymore.

BOSTON GLOBE - ILLEGITIMATE PHOTOS PRESENTED AS NEWSThe Globe first published an editor’s note, which stated that the photo had failed to meet the Globe’s standards and had not been authenticated.  Finally, the editor, Martin Baron, said that the photo “should not have appeared in the Globe,” and he apologized for what he called a “lapse in judgment.”  He never explicitly acknowledged that the photo was a hoax and that the paper had been taken in.

MEDIA BIAS - - 2 of 4 EXAMPLES: MISQUOTES and ILLIGITMATE PHOTOS

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PART 2. A BRIEF LOOK AT SOME EXAMPLES OF MEDIA BIAS

Sean Hannity recently had an interesting discussion with Dr. Ben Carson, part of which also dealt with the issue of Media bias. A short video clip starts here.

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Today, America has many problems, including major economic, employment, foreign policy and political. Both our elected officials and we Citizens must share the blame - - that is the essence of our democratic Republic. But as noted in the early part of this article, a big obstacle to confronting these matters is the devisiveness which is enabled by a largely politically slanted and fact-meager News Media.  We used to be able to trust our major TV newscasters: Ed Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Huntley & Brinkley and others. But today, the news comes at us with many false leads and accusations. This inhibits Citizen alliances. But the Constitution places the ultimate U.S. burden on US, i.e., WE THE PEOPLE and we have the RIGHTS that enable action. As in all Citizen actions, strength grows with the number of involved Citizens who can work together to hammer out an agreed position. All must achieve some satisfaction and it is likely that none will achieve 100% satisfaction. But that is the essence of Democracy and the essence of America. Thus, Together we must reach agreement on, and then make, the necessary changes. All must make some sacrifice in order that America emerge and regain the path it had started building 200+ years ago. This must include (i) NOT ignoring what we don’t want to be true, and (ii) listening to and reading only what we want to be true. In other words to be honestly acquainted with multiple sides of an issue and then reaching compromise on those which analysis, data and morality support most forcefully.

Part 3 - - What Are Some Root Causes Of Media Bias?

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We've shown a number of examples citing different sources and rationale for Media Bias and probable root cause motives. These include: political bias plus an economic motivation on the part of publishers to "promote and sell a given story". Moreover, independent of the motive is the totally adverse effect that such distorted reporting has on Citizens whose accurate understanding of all National events is essential to assure that government is moving in the direction that Citizens desire.

Some solution elements have also been broadly implied in the article. In more specific terms, below would be my recommendations, which would ultimately be incorporated as part of a Constitutional Amendment that would cover not just media bias, but then also help control such broader issues as: excess government intrusion from Legislation and Executive orders; government spending and debt; and others (see reference XX)

RECOMMENDED SOLUTION ELEMENTS FOR MEDIA BIAS:• ALL GOV’T NEWS RELEASES MUST INCLUDE VIEWS OF BOTH (1) THE PARTY IN POWER, AND (2) THE

MAJOR OPPOSITION PARTY (TO 40% SIZE OF THE TOTAL RELEASE). PRIVATE NEWS MEDIA SHALL BE REQUIRED TO CONTAIN BOTH POLITICAL VIEWS. MEDIA PENALTIES FOR A RECORD OF NON-COMPLIANCE OF GREATER THAN 5%, SHALL INCLUDE REMOVAL FROM THE GOVERNMENT DISTRIBUTION LIST FOR A PERIOD OF 1 YEAR.

• ALL MEDIA NEWS RELATED TO GOVERNANCE OR POLITICAL MATTERS SHALL BE DESIGNATED AS “NEWS” OR “NON-NEWS”. ANY MEDIA REPORTS DESIGNATED AS “NEWS” SHALL INCLUDE VIEWS REPORTED BY EACH OF THE 2 MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES AND EACH COMPRISING ABOUT 25% OF THE TOTAL “NEWS” REPORT. THERE SHALL BE NO RESTRICTIONS WHATEVER ON REPORTS LABELED AS “NON-NEWS”.

Part 4 - - So What Is The Solution?

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REFERENCES

1 "The Top 50 Liberal Media Bias Examples", Warner Todd Huston, December 10, 2011 at 11:50am, http://www.westernjournalism.co

2 "Scandal Rap Sheet: 48 Reasons to Distrust & Despise the Media",  John Nolte, 19 May 2015, www.Breitbart.com

3 "Specific Examples of Biased News Coverage" - Akdart.com/med6.html

4 Rowanne Brewer Lane Video clip: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/05/16/model-featured-in-trump-hit-piece-slams-ny-times-says-her-story-was-spun.html

5 Hannity video clip: http://video.foxnews.com/v/4896733765001/dr-carson-the-press-has-shirked-its-duty-to-be-honest/?playlist_id=930909813001#sp=show-clips

6 FURTHER PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS - - Ref Source for chart #8: http://www.slideshare.net/MarkS181/specl-mbs-ppt-supporting-blog-issues-of-spring-amndmt

I'm very happy to cite the following references which helped provide much of the historical information developed in this

article.

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THE ENDACTUALLY, IT’S NOT THE END - - YOUR VOICE IS IMPORTANT TO OUR NATION. CITIZEN INTEREST, DIALOG AND DATA ARE CRITICAL TO GOOD CIVIC OUTCOMES. AND THAT INCLUDES OUTCOMES WHICH SIMPLY ASSURE PROPER CONDITIONS FOR THE FREE MARKET TO WORK.

THE SIGNIFICANT LEVEL OF BIASED MEDIA NEWS IS HURTING AMERICA. CITIZENS MUST WORK TOGETHER TO PLACE STRICTURES ON WHAT MAY BE PUBLISHED UNDER THE HEADING: NEWS.

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