A View From the Deck: Just the Facts, or shut up, please.

NOTE: The following is OPINION. As such, it is the author’s point of view, and his alone.

The horrific events of Monday, April 15th are still fresh in many people’s minds, and rather than feeling frightened in the wake of this act of terror, many Americans are expressing another emotion:

People are ANGRY.

They’re not scared. They’re not worried about a subsequent incident. They’re just angry. And that anger is not just focused toward the perpetrators of this cowardly act.

The national media is finding itself to be the target of many people’s anger. At present, several media outlets, WITH NO FACTS TO BASE ANY ACCUSATIONS ON, are casting aspersions on who THEY believe may have been responsible. And because so many Americans regard anything reported by the media as ‘Truth,’ they then believe that this is the case, despite the blatant absence of any of the aforementioned ‘facts.’

In media outlets all over the country, the blame has been placed on everything and everyone from the Tea Party, White Supremacist groups, Anti-Tax groups, the Pro-Gun lobby, Islamic radicals, Anti-Obama groups, Anti-Gay Rights groups, and one outlet even went so far as to mention a Veteran’s group.

All of this with no facts to base any of these allegations on.

Many people, those who are aware of the growing bias in the ‘Fourth Estate,’ feel that the media needs to butt out of trying to lay blame on whomever their ideologies are in conflict with, and get back to reporting FACTS, not conjecture, not opinion based on bias, but simple FACTS.

After all, isn’t that their JOB?

The media outlets are all bringing in their ‘experts’ for commentary on this cowardly act. Many of these ‘experts’ have no experience in National Security or Anti-Terrorism whatsoever. Rather, the majority of these ‘experts’ are Political Commentators, Political Science majors, or have degrees in such things as ‘International Relations.’

So, lacking any kind of actual ‘expertise’ in dealing with explosives or terrorism, why are they touting these people as ‘experts’?

Well, it’s true that people love good speakers. We pay attention to those that are eloquent in their orations. And some believe that anyone with a lot of initials behind their names simply MUST know more on these issues than any of us under-educated rabble, right?

(Expletive Deleted)!

Immediately following the blast, there was a great deal of confusion and erroneous reports and suppositions being batted about. But this did not stop several of these media outlets from reporting these, again, as ‘fact,’ in order to rush to ‘scoop’ the other outlets on ‘new information.’  

In one blatant and disturbing example of this, following a later to be incorrect report of a third bomb exploding in the JFK Library (later confirmed to be a fire in the mechanical room), one national outlet’s reporter/commentator/analyst (emphasis on the first 4 letters of that last description) began to bawl at “The destruction of that beautiful building and the priceless artifacts it contained.”   Even after receiving word that this report was incorrect, she went on to exclaim how glad she was that the reports were false, and “That would be such a tragedy to have that happen.”

Lady, buildings can be rebuilt, unlike those people’s mangled bodies and lives, and the loss of any artifact means little considering the horror that people were experiencing as you sat comfortably in a climate-controlled studio.

Where was her concern over those lying dead and torn on the sidewalk? I’d like to believe she was in shock, but given this particular reporter/commentator/analyst’s (emphasis again) previously-demonstrated views and bias, I have my doubts.

And then there are the disturbing and gruesome ‘visuals’ that certain media outlets are looping endlessly. Over and over we watch in horror as the first bomb goes off and see those people standing close to the point of detonation enveloped by the blast and smoke. Then the camera pans slowly over the blood-stained sidewalk and shows those people lying torn and mangled…

…then the loop starts again, and again, and…

Enough! You get my point.

The media is also becoming the target of many Americans’ ire in its ‘revelations’ of certain key elements that should not see the light of day until after the proper authorities have finished their investigations. ‘Exclusives’ are important to the media, as they get ratings, but leaks of important confidential information at this point do nothing more than warn those responsible that there is evidence pointing toward them.

Don’t get me wrong. Free Speech is a Right that should not be infringed, but simple Common Sense SHOULD dictate to those in the media that revealing certain aspects or evidence can hamper the investigation into this attack.

No medium of information, large or small, broadcast, web-based, or print, has the right to engage in this action. To do so is irresponsible.

The American people want to see these cowardly perpetrators, whoever they may be, brought to justice. That justice ranges from facing trial in a criminal court, to many forms of public lynching. Understandable. Our anger toward those responsible is justified. People lost their lives, have been maimed, and their lives changed forever. Families have lost loved ones. People have experienced life-altering injuries. All of those present have had their lives transformed by this act of terror that targeted innocent citizens. Boston, and the Marathon, will never be the same. Those people’s LIVES will never be the same.

Whoever those responsible may be, at some point, they will feel the wrath of justice. But before that happens, let’s be unequivocally certain that the RIGHT people face that justice.

To that end, the media, ALL MEDIA, has the responsibility to report ACCURATELY, HONESTLY, and FACTUALLY to the American people, and not to try and lay the blame on any individual or group until the FACTS have come forth.

Even now, as fires still smolder in West, Texas, following two massive explosions at a fertilizer plant that has killed and injured several, certain media outlets are already batting around the idea that this could be another attack, and are putting forth their collective conjecture as to who might be responsible.

Why not wait until you have some actual, viable FACTS to report before you rush to ‘scoop’ the competition?

That’s the problem with 24/7 news outlets: They have to fill the ‘Dead air,’ and all too often, that fill is anything but factual.

To the Media: Butt out of trying to cast the blame on those you are in ideological conflict with, report the facts, know when to keep your information confidential, and do your job. Enough of the ‘Yellow Journalism.’

It’s making us angry.

In the words of Sgt. Joe Friday: “Just the facts.”

Si vis Pacem, Para Bellum