"Michael Vick"

-by Mike Plugh

I’ve recently returned to New York to do some graduate work and I think the insidious reverse culture shock that everyone warns of has set in. At the supermarket, potato chip bags come in extra large, family size, and 20 pound bags. Check out clerks pack groceries in plastic bags two pieces at a time. One orange, a tomato, next bag…. I think I carried home 30 plastic bags for a $40 dollar shopping trip the other day.

Daily life is full of surprises, but one assumes that things will normalize and a steady lifestyle will eventually emerge. There are things we forget when we’re away for so long. Some are good and some are bad. Memories of home are often clouded in fantasy or convenient amnesia when separated by time and distance, something like a high school sweetheart. Nothing has struck me moreso than the media. Of course, I’m back in the U.S. to pursue a degree in Public Communications, and the first syllabus to hit my inbox was in “Problems of News”, but the synchronicity of my strongest observation and the initial outreach from my professor is more than a mere coincidence. It’s a painfully obvious reminder that American people are suffering a poverty of journalism that is unparalleled in our nation’s history.

CNN now boasts more news per hour in their morning coverage for some reason. Is that what we need? Is that really their best selling point? Not more quality news coverage of key issues at the heart of American society. Instead we are treated to quick hits of car chases in Los Angeles, runaway poodles, convenience store robberies caught on camera, and so on. I was nearly floored at the dueling news coverage of the resignation of Alberto Gonzales and the guilty plea of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

I thought to myself as I watched, “Is Vick getting more airtime than the deposed Attorney General?” As that thought ran through my mind, I headed for DailyKos and DavidCorn.com to see what the Left had to say about the stunning turn of events. Corn, to his credit, led his piece with a similar thought on the Vick/Gonzales coverage at CNN. Neither of us had clocked the airtime for the two stories, but like me, Corn wondered why both deserved nearly duplicate airtime. Let’s think about it for a moment.

Michael Vick is a famous man. He is one of the most talented athletes in America and an Atlanta icon. That last point may help to explain the interest by CNN, an Atlanta-based network. This man kept dogs in his home and allowed guests to gamble on a blood sport that pits animal against animal in a horrifying display of brutality. He was caught. He struck a plea. He’s going to jail. That’s the story. Ask yourself how closely this relates to you. Where does your life and Michael Vick’s intersect? Next story.

The Attorney General of the United States of America resigned. He is the top lawyer in this country and the man responsible for overseeing the judicial affairs of the entire nation. He has evaded Congressional calls for testimony, information, and accountability on a number of fronts and has politicized the department more than any figure in its history. This man is also one of the closest confidants of the president and the final member of his inner circle of Texans, now in Washington. Ask youself how closely this relates to you. Where does your life and Alberto Gonzales’ intersect?

One story is a curiosity. It’s a titillating look inside the world of big money sports, underground gambling, and animal abuse. Exciting storyline. It would make for a good movie. It would make for an interesting lead in from a commercial break at some point during the day. ESPN would be wise to dig deeper into this and maybe HBO’s Real Sports. CNN? On the right day, it might make for a repeat story every few hours.

The other story involves a public servant of the highest stature. It is a story that sits directly in your living room and directly impacts the freedoms that we all enjoy as Americans. The departure of one man affects the agenda of the president, the Congress, and possibly the Supreme Court. It affects appeals, all manner of jurisprudence, and legislation in various committees. The president will choose a replacement that will require confirmation by the Senate, unless he chooses a recess appointment. The analysis of this event will help all of us understand the prism of issues that has exploded across the landscape.

In the end, there is finite time with which to cover all the important events of our time. How we use that time is critically important. As a part of our society that enjoys a certain protection, the status of the Fourth Estate, isn’t it the duty of journalists to cover the events that directly intersect our lives and impact us the most? Michael Vick? No relation to me. Alberto Gonzales? Critical relationship. This is only one example of the war on journalism that exists in the “for profit” media. Would we devote the same amount of airtime to covering the issues of poverty and AIDS and national health care and the figures involved in lobbying the government, the media would serve as an important tool to educate, enlighten, and protect the interest of the citizen. The way things stand now, the media only serves to titillate, entertain, and give the illusion of enlightenment. The 30 second coverage of real news is sandwiched between the 2-3 minute coverage of trivia. All stories are equal on CNN and its cousins. Alberto Gonzales and Michael Vick are put on a pedestal and treated as equals.

Where’s the perspective? Why don’t we demand better? Where did the real journalists go? Where can we find real news? I’ll get back to you on that. I have a little work to do.