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Opinion

Press should be without agenda

Nick Somarakis
Opinion Columnist

A couple of weeks ago, Vice President Dick Cheney drank beer and then shot an old man. The old man has since apologized for ruining Cheney's hunting trip. 

Although this is both a weird and funny circumstance, the way the vice president handled the press after the accidental shooting of long-time friend Harry Whittington was not amusing. 

Cheney avoided the press until after the owner of the ranch where the shooting took place called a local newspaper in Corpus Christi to inform it of the shooting.

After a couple of days, Cheney finally decided to do an interview with Fox News anchor Brit Hume -- a conservative reporter who was soft on the vice president.

Hume asked Cheney tough questions like what was he wearing and whether it was clear Whittington had caught part of the shot, adding, "I take it you missed the bird."

The Hume interview is indicative of the way the press has changed in recent years. Corporate media outlets, such as Clear Channel, Fox News, Cumulus and others, have monetary interests in increasing their ownership of radio and television stations.

So the media have changed the face of reporting to help the conservatives who deregulate the ownership laws of radio and television and increase profits for these large companies.

When the Dixie Chicks said they were ashamed President George W. Bush was from Texas, Cumulus Media's CEO ordered all the company's stations to stop playing any Dixie Chicks songs on the radio. Clear Channel proceeded to follow suit.

A couple of months after the Dixie Chicks boycott by big media, the FCC changed the ownership rules of television and radio stations, allowing for companies like Clear Channel to own more stations nationally and locally, thus increasing profits for big media.

Since that time, corporate media have continued to take actions to help the conservative movement and distort the way people view different issues.

Sinclair Media decided to air parts of a propaganda film against Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 election to help Bush's re-election. Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly pushes the message that no one cares about Cheney's office leaking the name of a CIA agent -- an action that endangered American lives and hindered homeland security. Fox News programs continue to justify the president's spying on U.S. citizens and recording telephone calls without warrants and, most recently, Fox News held its special interview with Cheney a couple of days after his hunting incident.

Corporate media promoting a conservative agenda for profit is dangerous for our country. The news media should be free from opinion and should work to protect the interests of the people. 

Reporters should ask tough questions of public officials and hold politicians accountable for their actions, not promote an agenda that is beneficial for the bottom line. 

Ownership laws should prevent any one media group from owning too many stations. 

Media should not promote any specific agenda, conservative or liberal, and only through more competition among different owners can the media be free from any particular political agenda.

Somarakis, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at nick_som1@hotmail.com.