Message to young writers and reporters with access to the Executive Branch

[bigtree]

Congratulations and kudos for your achievement.

You have the opportunity of your lifetime to live up to the highest traditions of your profession. The history of the press, from fragile parchment posted on a town square wall, to typeset pages produced one at a time, from huge multi-presses, to micro bytes flashing across computer wavelengths, the press has been an optimistic leap of faith that gathered information would not merely inform, but influence and transform the lives of individuals, communities, and countries, for the moment and for generations to come.

Never before in the world's history has information traveled so far, or so fast. Any one with an interest can pull words and phrases together and present their work to countless hungry minds and even infect some skeptical, indifferent ones. But those of you who have achieved positions of access and influence have a special opportunity and responsibility to dig until every aspect in your sphere is unearthed and disseminated for all to judge and act on.

Think of the writers whose efforts inspired your own careers, from Aristotle’s “Politics” and Machiavelli’s “Prince”, to Plato’s “Republic and More’s “Utopia”, from Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations” to Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle". These writers have sought to change the their world by revealing the soul underneath events and actions of the power structures and ruling classes of their times.

As you, in your privileged few who patrol the corridors of power, come face to face with our country's future in whispered conversations, eyes-only memos, and in arrogant boasting by public officials in assumed confidence, remember, your charge is to the people outside of your sphere. Your charge is to your communities, your country, and to generations to come. Don't falter, don't conceal, dig to the bottom of the layers of privilege and assumed authority and deliver to the people the enlightening product of your labor, and revel in the preservation of the highest traditions of the press, and your name will be emblazoned in the minds and hearts of those of us who hunger to shape our own destiny with knowledge and action.

-Ron

[bigtree]

1. kick

:kick:

[DeepModem Mom]

2. bigtree, I'm not sure this generation of reporters...

is educated enough to understand or respond to your plea. They grew up in the Reagan years, "raised on Reagan," and I'm afraid the political climate of those years is the norm for them. That the Bushies are far, far worse than the Reaganites, I'm also afraid, is lost on them. I don't know why they chose the profession of journalism, or what truly motivates them.

My only hope is that the wheel turns, as it usually does, because of the damage Bush is doing to our country and the world -- or we wait for a new generation, those born l980 and after, who seem quite different from their twenty- and thirty-something elders --

[bigtree]

3. We have to hope

My son writes and is a politically astute member of this generation. As you say, the last generation of reporter's main motivation seemed to be to hold on to their positions, fearful of being black-balled from the White House /Pentagon press corp. Many old-hands though have stood apart from that and are hanging tough on this administration. Helen Thomas comes to mind. We need some folks with guts to open this White House to real scrutiny. We need this, now more than ever.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. I meant to include apologies to the large number of Gen Xers...

who are exceptions to my characterization, including one of my daughters (also a writer, but not about politics).

[bigtree]

5. Per your avatar

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
-Thomas Jefferson

[bigtree]

6. kick

[Stephanie]

7. that's an inspiring message and should be emailed

to anyone you know who's a reporter.