Poynter Institute should get the point - the First Amendment is not free

During WWII, there were instances when the media took a cue from the government and withheld information that might have harmed the war effort. Then again, there was always Charles McCormick whose newspaper published a story exposing that the U.S. had ambushed the Imperial Japanese Navy at Midway with the help of code breakers who had broken the Japanese code so that we knew in advance that the Japanese were coming. Though it is questionable the Japanese ever read his publication, he still potentially disclosed a vital military secret.

Some in the world of journalism would applaud McCormick’s decision and look harshly upon those who supported the war effort. Of course, some might say those people have neglected to notice that the American soldiers and sailors putting their lives on the line are in the process of defending the First Amendment – the only amendment members of the media seem to universally support.

Now, with ultra-liberals in control of the Fourth Estate, the Poynter Institute is apparently teaching journalists and journalists in training to “take a note that Jihad is not a leading cause of death.”

Is this the result of the military asking for their cooperation? Has Obama reached out to them and begged that, in the national interest, they spin related stories a particular way? No, it appears this is merely the result of continued efforts on the part of the media to slide the country to the Left.

For those of you without journalistic experience, you may not be as familiar with the Poynter Institute. Among journalists in this country it is considered the virtual Mecca for the promotion of the industry. This isn’t some wacked-out, drug-addled professor in PoHunk, Idaho. This is the virtual foundation of the world of journalism. And they’re teaching journalists to skip the truth and take sides.

There is no excuse for such behavior. The only thing that amazes me is that, and I’m quite sure this is true, the same individuals promoting such non-ethical journalistic treatment of such stories would proudly proclaim themselves leaders in the field.

What does this mean? It means that the world of American journalism has gone beyond the point of no return. There is no hope for the profession as long as people such as this continue to hold such biased sway among their peers and aspiring journalists.

Some journalists have a knack with prose that virtually takes the breath away. They can conjure up emotions from thin air. That’s a wonderful ability when they’re fighting for a noble cause but, even then, it’s not journalism, not as I know it.

Journalists play a vital role in our society, and that is role all-too neglected these days. We need true journalists, those who haven’t allowed the pie-in-the-sky notions of ultra-liberal educators to take control of those electrical impulses in their craniums otherwise known as thoughts. We need journalists who are not so full of a narcissistic sense of liberal self importance that they can’t tell the difference between a terrorist and someone putting his life on the line to protect journalism’s favorite amendment.