The American Mainstream Media - Garbage In - Garbage Out

People are much like computers, garbage in, garbage out. I have heard that human beings are incapable of making a mistake, the problem lies in formulating a response to a question without having sufficient knowledge, acting without all the facts. This is where the American public now seems to find itself, without sufficient knowledge to come to rational decisions.

Today I watched CBS’s “Face the Nation” and listened to Bob Schieffer’s interview with President Obama. The President did an admirable job of answering Bob’s questions, as like in his press conference last week, he knew exactly what to say to the questions he was asked. I can’t blame Americans for appreciating Barck Obama, his knowledge and apparent candor is light years ahead of his predecessor.That however, isn’t good enough. The problem with Obama’s answers is that he hasn’t been asked the hard questions that beg hard answers. It is difficult to come to conclusions, or support policies that don’t address some primary concerns without the facts. While Obama has the right sentiment about the premise that “We are all in this together”, some questions need to be asked of him.

These are some of the questions I would have asked him;

1. Mr. President, it has been reported by the “The Real News Network’s” Pepe Escobar, that the U.S. taxpayer is putting up 94% of the money to buy “toxic assets” from financial institutions. Why should Americans be content with splitting any future profits with these institutions 50/50? If we put up 94% of the money, why not reap 94% of the profits?
2. Many economists believe that the financial institutions, who issued derivatives, including AIG, have from 1 trillion dollars to 165 trillion dollars in these toxic assets. What good is 100 billion dollars going to do? Isn’t that a bit too little, too late?
3. Mr. President, you have said that the U.S. is committed to fighting al Qaeda in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Does this mean that Predator attacks will continue? Also, if Pakistan cannot hold up their end of the deal, if terrorists continue to operate out of Pakistan, will you eventually use American troops in that country?

Why can’t the mainstream media ask the really important questions? If reporters and interviewers are afraid of incurring the wrath of the executive branch, they apparently have the wrong job. It is no wonder that most of the people in America know so little about what is really happening in this country. Brain fog seems to be something that Americans will have to deal with until the news media can stand up to its responsibilities and starts to ask the questions that really matter. Posing questions on the internet and never getting real answers is something that informed Americans will have to put up with. Still, its better than going through life blinded to the truth.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future