A Most fascinating Look at Alabama and the Siegelman trial
A failure of skepticism is apparent in coverage of the Siegelman trial
By Scott HortonSpecial to The Star
08-05-2007
http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2007/as-insight-0805-0-7h04t4606.htm
http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2007/as-insight-0805-0-7h04t4606.htm
An excerpt
The Siegelman case let us focus on another acute problem: what happens when one corporate giant comes completely to dominate the print media market of a state? It acquires the power to shape the public’s perception of reality. It determines what is and what is not “news.” It shapes public perceptions of the issues, of the state’s political discourse and of its political figures. And its coloration can easily get an innocent man convicted. Indeed that just happened. Don Siegelman had his political career and his reputation destroyed. This occurred in a way that will stand as evidence of the damage that can be done when the power of the federal prosecutor’s office is wielded with political malice, and the press not only fails to spotlight the injustice but actually backs it up.
There are some antidotes to this problem, and I can think of two. One is to make way for more voices and greater diversity of viewpoints in reporting. And the other is for all of us to be skeptical — especially when prosecutors start handing out bouquets to their favorite reporters.
Harper’s magazine writer Scott Horton, who is one of the Lawrence County, Alabama, Hortons, is a New York attorney who blogs at harpers.org/subjects/NoComment.
By Scott HortonSpecial to The Star
08-05-2007
http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2007/as-insight-0805-0-7h04t4606.htm
http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2007/as-insight-0805-0-7h04t4606.htm
An excerpt
The Siegelman case let us focus on another acute problem: what happens when one corporate giant comes completely to dominate the print media market of a state? It acquires the power to shape the public’s perception of reality. It determines what is and what is not “news.” It shapes public perceptions of the issues, of the state’s political discourse and of its political figures. And its coloration can easily get an innocent man convicted. Indeed that just happened. Don Siegelman had his political career and his reputation destroyed. This occurred in a way that will stand as evidence of the damage that can be done when the power of the federal prosecutor’s office is wielded with political malice, and the press not only fails to spotlight the injustice but actually backs it up.
There are some antidotes to this problem, and I can think of two. One is to make way for more voices and greater diversity of viewpoints in reporting. And the other is for all of us to be skeptical — especially when prosecutors start handing out bouquets to their favorite reporters.
Harper’s magazine writer Scott Horton, who is one of the Lawrence County, Alabama, Hortons, is a New York attorney who blogs at harpers.org/subjects/NoComment.
posted by foxofbama | 1:01 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home