Reply #3: I dunno, Crispi....

[RevCheesehead]

Unemployment rate may be at 95.1%, but that doesn't mean that 95% of eligible people are working. Some aren't counted anymore, because after 3 months, their names drop off the rolls. Nor would I dare presume that Iraqi men, women or children feel safe because they got to school or bought a loaf of bread. And I still have misgivings about flying, for a multitude of reasons.

Meanwhile, the media has been silent about crucial things. They report Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and devote only a few moments to the heart-breaking fact that many of these people STILL have no help, no place to live, no government assistance. I think that reporting the "good news" that Mardi Gras went on as usual sends a false message to people - that life is returning to normal for New Orleans. Some people will hear only that part, and then dismiss the rest, thinking "well, they're getting back on their feet - we don't need to worry about that anymore."

There may be countless examples of sex offenders who've been paroled who have NOT molested children, banks that haven't been robbed, etc..., but there are also unreported rapes, hate crimes, assaults, murders, foreclosures, factory closings, corporate downsizing/outsourcing, etc... that barely register a blip on the radar.

I feel for journalists, but even more for editors. Choosing which stories to report is a moral dilemna. However, I think that even worse, many of the choices are made, not by "what's important," but instead, by "what will drive the ratings." All I have to do is point to Keith's "Stories my producers are forcing me to do."

Someday, we'll realize that life isn't about money afterall. :(