Chapter 15: The News Media
5/17/99

Recently on a major college campus, CNN sponsored a town hall meeting that was devoted to discussing the news media's role in covering unfolding tragedies such as what happened at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. As the Columbine shootings were happening, it became known that televisions in the school were not only on but also tuned into CNN's coverage of the shootings. Thus students could see on the televisions live aerial views of the school and could hear commentators discussing the situation. In fact, students in one room turned down the volume of the television set hoping that the shooters would not hear the TV and be drawn to the room.

In dealing with such a situation, should news reporters interview law enforcement officials at the scene discussing their operational plans knowing possibly that the instigators could be watching the interviews on televisions in the school? Should reporters speculate on the number and locations of students still in the schools possibly setting up a hostage-taking scenario? Should reporters be first and foremost concerned with simply covering the unfolding events or should they limit their coverage to possibly avoid worsening the situation?

4/5/99

With the end of the Bill and Monica saga, the cable news networks have to be wondering what to do keep their audiences and identities. On MSNBC and the Fox News Channel, where the coverage appeared to be "all Monica, all the time" for the past year, the future must appear to be somewhat bleak. Even after the final Senate vote in the impeachment trial, nightly talk shows continue to discuss the implications of the Lewinsky-Clinton scandal for the moral fabric of the nation, Hillary's political ambitions, and the President's life after his term of office ends. Also, there is continuing coverage of the ongoing Starr investigation, the Linda Tripp grand jury proceedings, and legal actions concerning others, such as Susan McDougall.

Despite these efforts, the cable news networks are moving away from Monicamania as their primary focus. Already the networks are losing viewers. Since December, prime-time ratings are down 20%.

1/14/99

Representative Bob Livingston's shocking announcement that he was pulling out of the running for the Speaker's position for the new Congress may have been prompted by Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler Magazine. Flynt had taken out a full-page ad in a national newspaper promising a one-million-dollar award to anyone who had an affair with a current member of Congress. Flynt's stated motivation for placing the ad was to point out the hypocrisy of Congress investigating the sexual affairs of President Clinton when some members were engaged in their own affairs. Apparently, the offer worked in regard to Representative Livingston leading to a disclosure of several 'marital infidelities'.

The media is now in an awkward position of having its national agenda controlled by Larry Flynt as the 'investigative pornographer'. This, however, is not a novel situation for a media that has reported on the sexual affairs of Representatives Burton, Chenoweth, and Hyde in recent months. Many are wondering how far will the media go into the gutter? And, how long will it stay there?

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