Chapter 6

The News Industry

The news industry needs to repent. It is not serving the needs of the American people as
currently constituted (JRE Link, 2019-0125 (Fri), COM-STR2).

We don't need the nation's political agenda set every day by powerful newspapers, by
cable and network TV news producers, or by political activist websites. A successful nation does
not need a political agenda in order to succeed. It needs people in the media of good character
who are free of political ambition and who are able to stand up and assist in filling the long-
standing leadership vacuum in the country. Members of the media can lead by example, just as
those serving in public office can lead by example. We want and treasure the freedom of the
press, but how that freedom is used is equally important.

The free press establishes peace throughout the land by regular honest reporting (JRE Link, 2017-0708 (Sat), COM-STR2).

The free press provides proper oversight of government.

If the press fails in these two great missions, America will fail. That's how critical the
press is to our nation.

The ability to hold free and fair elections in America requires that we have a free, honest,
transparent, and unbiased news media.

The problem in America—there is bad leadership everywhere... which goes unreported.
And bad public policy is often given favorable news coverage.

Society as a whole needs to learn to judge things righteously. The biased and corrupting
lens of the news media makes that very difficult to do (JRE Link, 2020-0805 (Wed), COM-STR2).

Nothing good in society comes out of a biased news media.

At the MSNBC awards—for excellence in liberal bias in network news coverage.

A bias allegation should be regarded as an insult to journalists and news organizations.
So, why isn't it? Because the allegation is too often true.

Liberal bias in reporting should not be embraced within the business plan of the news
organization. Nor should it be celebrated as a badge of honor among reporters, anchors,
producers, and executives.

The press should focus on what's real and vital to the American people, rather than
always reverting to the biased portrayal of events and facts that they can get away with because
of their liberal monopoly power.

We need exactness in reporting, not foolhardy illusions filling the nightly news
broadcasts (JRE Link, 2021-0616 (Wed), COM-STR2).

Reporting the truth in an unbiased manner should not be dependent on an "editorial
decision." It should be in the DNA of all news reporters, anchors, writers, producers, and
executives from the very first moment they enter the journalism profession.

Journalism in America has not led the way to greatness. Rather, it is a mirror image of the
corruption of government at every turn. And in recent years, the corruption seen in the news
media has even exceeded that of government (JRE Link, 2020-0917 (Thu), COM-STR2).

The news business is not America's strong suit. Its industry-wide problems weigh heavily
on the minds of the American people every day. Dramatic change is needed, but what news
media company executive is ready to stand up, lead, and set the example for others?

Move past the political ideologies that you have today and enter the domain of truth, pure
truth.

Pure truth is not liberal truth, and it's not conservative truth. Pure truth is honesty,
soberness, and an accurate presentation of facts that all citizens can enjoying listening to and
trust.

Proclaim this truth from the microphone every day, and in print.

But truth is not just the spoken or printed word. It's the process of gathering and
presenting the news in a way that doesn't make viewers/readers rightfully suspicious of a partisan
agenda.

We know the truth on TV when we see it, and right now we're not seeing it on any cable
or network news broadcast. Freedom of choice allows us as citizens to easily switch channels on
our remote, but that only works if there is a channel to select that offers honorable and unbiased
news—the type of high integrity news programming that is currently not available to viewers on
any platform, TV or otherwise.

Truth is our country's biggest need—in public policy initiatives, in the teaching that's
done in our schools and universities, in the stories and lessons of life portrayed on TV and in the
movies, in what's exemplified in society by role models, and in what's reported every day in the
news media.

A news organization whose focus is on the truth, and not on its own political agenda or
economic livelihood, is the one who supports and sustains the well-being of society. If the truth

is not there, then you might as well shut down and start fresh with a new company and business
plan.

If all news organizations will focus on the truth, America and the whole world will be
fully enlightened.

Changing the world is unlike anything else you could possibly do. A move towards fully-
truthful, fully-unbiased, and fully-transparent news coverage will change the world around us in
breathtaking new ways.

Let's find a way to make reporting the truth profitable for the news media. The truth
includes: (1), the decisions in what story is covered and what story is not; (2), the priority and
focus given by a news organization to each story and how it is advertised in promos; (3), the
subtleties of how each story is written and presented, and what visuals are provided; and (4), the
selection of guests invited on to discuss it, and what bias those guests have.

The truth requires that news organizations create a weekly report of their bias and
reporting mistakes on a prominent place on their websites, and then regularly make mention of it
in their TV, radio and Internet broadcasts. This tracking should include easily recognizable titles
of mistakes made, the type of mistake (whether reporting error or bias), the person or persons on
their team involved, the time(s) and date(s), corrective actions taken, apologies made, and
restitution efforts made (JRE Link, 2019-1026 (Sat), COM-STR2).

Restitution is important. Mistakes made by news organizations can do great damage to
individuals, to companies, to organizations, and to society at large, so just shrugging your
shoulders and admitting a mistake generally is not enough, especially if the mistake was
egregious, premeditated by those involved, or promulgated in news reporting knowingly for a
long period of time. The news organization’s culture may be the underlying problem, so reform
in the media company may be needed. And if one news organization realizes that it needs to do
fundamental reform, then other like-minded news organizations should really consider doing the
same.

Ratings and competition for advertisers make for an underwhelming menu of
manufactured / sensationalized news coverage and analysis on cable and network news (JRE Link, 2018-1219 (Wed), COM-STR2).

Good ratings and high integrity both are needed in the TV news business, not just one or
the other (JRE Link, 2019-1001 (Tue), COM-STR2).

Integrity brings the truth into the public sphere for all the world to see.

Truth is the first casualty of our political discourse on cable and network TV.

Rabid political debate on TV, and on the Internet, is not just harmless entertainment. It
often reinforces division and chaos––garbage in, garbage out of political activism manifest
throughout the nation. The safety of the union is put at risk (JRE Link, 2018-1219 (Wed), COM-STR2).

On tonight's program, we will open more wounds and sow greater division in the country.
My first guest is....

Political bloggers and social media mobs are like the laughing hordes in the coliseums of
Ancient Rome. They (we) watch scandal, corruption, political battles, hatred of others, and
partisan portrayal of events in the news from their (our) seats in the stands (JRE Link, 2018-1219 (Wed), COM-STR2).

A very small number of people drive the news cycle every day. The whole nation
watches in disappointment at the petty goings-on in Washington D.C., in state capitals, in city
governments, and in the sports and entertainment industries (JRE Link, 2018-0826 (Sun), COM-STR2).

Mainstream media—news, commentary, and entertainment by liberals for liberals...
although everyone else in America is encouraged to watch because that helps ratings and the
bottom line. In this world of the media, liberals provide the "mainstream" opinions; moderates
are regularly invited on to provide "balance;" and conservatives are invited on occasionally to
shock viewers with their "counterculture" views on issues.

The associated press––the news industry needs more diversity of political beliefs so that
newsrooms look more like America (JRE Link, 2019-1229 (Sun), COM-STR2).

It needs to be understood that newspaper editors, TV news producers, news anchors, and
hard news reporters have no more wisdom than the average citizen. Their bias is often built-in
and difficult to repair. This is political corruption at the highest level in the nation. Let's look for
lasting solutions to this serious problem. Remember, the political problems we face are not just
limited to the politicians in government. There is an entire political industry we have to
overcome to set the country right, starting with the media (JRE Link, 2018-1219 (Wed), COM-STR2).

Good TV anchors and reporters are not self-important. They are incidental to the news
broadcast. They are highly regarded for their journalistic integrity, not quickly dismissed out of
hand by viewers for their bias and grandstanding (JRE Link, 2020-0114 (Tue), COM-STR2).

To all hard news anchors, reporters, writers, and producers—Cleanse your hearts of bias (JRE Link, 2019-1026 (Sat), COM-STR2).

Biased anchors and biased reporters are a great stumbling block for America.

Unbiased anchors and unbiased reporters are priceless to America.

Biased reporters are short on facts—the facts that go contrary to their chosen narrative (JRE Link, 2020-1123 (Mon), COM-STR2).

Integrity or bias—a reporter much chose between them. You can have one or the other,
but not both (JRE Link, 2020-0114 (Tue), COM-STR2).

Subtle bias—the invisible enemy that destroys the credibility of journalists.

Overt bias—the visible enemy that corrupts government oversight by the press and leads
to civil unrest.

Look for both overt bias and subtle bias in every aspect of your company's hard news
coverage and programming––election polling, fact checking, investigative reports, expert
analysis, news magazines, special programs, morning shows, and so forth. This added distinction
between the two will make your news website's bias log (mentioned above) all the more
impressive. America will love you for it (JRE Link, 2019-1026 (Sat), COM-STR2).

If a viewer has to think about the person reporting the news, and what their bias is, then
the integrity of the news has already been compromised (JRE Link, 2020-0114 (Tue), COM-STR2).

Don't hold back honest reporting in order to support your personal or network's political
agenda.

Stay on message, and the message is honest reporting.

Editorializing and opinion journalism should be separated out entirely from the hard news
coverage. A TV program is either 100% hard news or 100% opinion/commentary. You don't mix
them together for ratings purpose or to steer your viewers towards a particular point of view.

Opinion articles and editorial articles should be special inserts of a newspaper, and under
completely different domains, separated from the hard news website with separate staff,
advertising, and business model. You should never brand opinion and hard news articles under
the same roof.

Breaking news should NEVER be touched by opinion news personalities. Interruption of
opinion programming with breaking news should be done by hard news anchors or hard news
reporters on call.

Similarly, hard news anchors and reporters should NEVER be involved as guests to offer
their personal opinions on opinion programs. Keep your opinions to yourself. You are either a
hard news person or a commentator, but not both.

Only hard news anchors (or hard news reporters) should moderate and ask questions at
political debates and like public forums.

And then there is political commentary... overtly biased opinions that are sometimes
entertaining, but which we really could do without.

Political commentary––lite on truth and heavy on propaganda.

Politics corrupts everything on cable TV news and network TV news programming... like
on primetime lineups. No good and honest man is left standing. We can do without that kind of
corrupting entertainment in our lives. Try to focus more on problem solving, please, in regular
news show programming to help lead the nation forward. Problem solving can be entertaining
and drive ratings if done right (JRE Link, 2020-0422 (Wed), COM-STR2).

Let's not be lovers of idiocy in political dialogue.

This idiocy may one day reach a flashpoint where the divide between us as Americans is
so severe that we can't coexist together peacefully. The result—large-scale violence in the streets
and our nation's institutions damaged beyond repair.

Concern for the poor and the needy of America is hidden away in the back pages. It is the
glory of the fight of political battles—promoted in the media—and the spoil to the victors of
elections that leads the news. That is our treasure.

Bully vs. bully—conservative pundits vs. liberal pundits (JRE Link, 2020-1110 (Tue), WSE-MAIN).

There is a thousand hours of a thousand owls every day on TV, radio and the Internet, all
espousing wisdom of a kind. But there are very few people with the sense to lay aside their
political attacks and engage in problem solving to bring about a better world (JRE Link, 2021-1111 (Thu), COM-STR2).

Sue Ann Niven's mischievous smile—what's behind it? A manipulative and scheming
mind. That so often is the nature of political activists, politicians, and commentators... a hidden,
tragic evil in their hearts that poisons the airways and divides the nation. We see it all day long
on cable TV.

Cable and network news programming too often promotes the most vial and useless of all
political commentary and debate. You crash down your harsh rhetoric upon others and they do
the same upon you immediately after. You formulate your words to reply with while the other
person is still talking, listening only for weaknesses to pounce upon, not for areas of agreement
and commonality. It’s a useless exchange that does great damage to society.

Panels on network news and cable news shows, with biased presenters and biased
commentators, are nothing more than thirty-minute or one-hour infomercials. You could easily
replace their panel's commentary about current issues with commentary about new cookware or
industrial strength cleaners and show a flashing 1-800 number and website at the bottom of the
screen.

However, these same panels, if involved in problem solving together, would be
something completely different. The same people sitting in the same chairs on the same set with
the same camera angles—their analysis, their expertise, and their stature in the public eye—in
regular discussion, suddenly becomes a glorious thing, lifting and inspiring America.

Problem solving entertains, inspires, and works towards real solutions—a triple win for
society.

All of us working together.

Real problem solving on air that spans the entire news media. All news channels, all
media companies (JRE Link, 2021-1220 (Mon), COM-STR2).

Real problem solving in cyberspace that spans the entire Internet. All news websites, all
news forums and podcasts (JRE Link, 2021-1220 (Mon), COM-STR2).

Get this word out—peace (JRE Link, 2021-1019 (Tue), WSE-MAIN).

It's the fighting itself that causes the most problems in the nation. Work hard on the issues
rather than fighting hard on the issues. The news industry can set a good example in this area and
help to establish peace... lasting peace in America.

Separate out liberalism from journalism. Currently, they are one and the same.

The goal of journalism is not to advance liberalism in America. Honest, non-partisan
journalism in America's newsrooms is all we need. Nothing more, nothing less (JRE Link, 2019-0214 (Thu), COM-STR2).

Working as a reporter for the Washington Post or any other national or local news
organization doesn’t make one a true journalist. The title of journalist must be earned by years
and years of accurate, non-biased reporting of the news. We need journalists, not reporters (JRE Link, 2020-0907 (Mon), COM-STR2).

The journalism of Watergate is not the gold standard for the press to look to for
greatness. The ideal of journalism is yet to come. News reporters need to leave behind their
liberal activist roots from college, and leave behind their years of crusading for liberal causes.
You will know when the ideal of journalism has been reached when all Americans, both left and
right, can pick up any newspaper (or read online) or watch the evening news on TV (or watch
online) and sincerely appreciate the hard work being done by journalists and the high integrity
they demonstrate in their reporting. The Pulitzer Prizes of journalism will finally begin to mean
something. Journalists will be forever admired and loved by the American people for the
important role they perform in society.