Just because Dick Cheney says something does not mean it’s newsworthy.
At least, counter the person being interviewed or — at a minimum — conclude your report with helpful / informative facts.
As a perfect example . . .
Cheney told POLITICO.com, “There is no reason for an American president to bow to anyone. Our friends and allies don’t expect it, and our enemies see it as a sign of weakness.”
I’ll give Politico an ounce of credit, but only an ounce — They did report on both sides of the issue, at least presenting varying perspectives on President Obama’s Asia trip.
But where Politico fails utterly, earring an “F -”, is that they simply let Dick Cheney criticize without any Politico follow-up and / or rebuttal to Dick Cheney’s comments. Simply put, Politico’s article parroted the former Vice President of the United States and didn’t offer anything on the obvious, that past Presidents of the United States have expressed similar demonstrations of respect.
What Politico did is not news. News is taking comments and quotes, facts and figures, and events of all kinds and putting them into context. It’s simply not sufficient to parrot what someone says without also giving readers or listeners facts and perspectives around which to form an opinion. That’s what’s news, and Politico missed an incredible opportunity to do just that.
More bluntly and directed to the Media at large, your job is not to report — It’s to inform. Get back to doing that . . . and I’m willing to bet the American People will regain the respect they once had for Media in America.
[I may give Politico more gruff than they deserve themselves, but Media as a whole is well-deserved of such flack.]
