Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Personal Injury Law Blogs -> Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal Injury Law

: Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer

Media On Trial: RIP, IS BOB WOODWARD DEAD?

By Steve Lombardi

Bob, who cares who deep-throat was? Was, was , was! How about is, is, is?

Mr. Woodward, stop with promoting the book deals!

How about you spend some time promoting journalism?

Young journalists, what seems more important than Bob's current book deal is who deep throat is today and tomorrow and what they are hiding?

Calling all of you young journalists to look at what Jane Akre and Steve Wilson did.

These are your bubble gum card heroes of today. Not Bob Woodward and his book deals. Akre and Wilson are two journalists true to their profession; not the dollars and a book deal. They have backbone and won't sell out their honesty in reporting news for a can of hairspray and a million dollar employment contract.

So listen to this message and ask yourself, if the media missed or refused to report on the Madoff mess until after Bernard admitted his Ponzi scheme, why? Figure our why you missed it or better yet how you can get the next breaking story.

THIS IS ABOUT INTEGRITY

Journalists Jane Akre and Steve Wilson were fired by the Fox News television station they work for after refusing to change their investigative report on Posilac, a Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) made by Monsanto. That's integrity. Remember integrity?

Here is how the story is reported: Their research documented potential health and safety problems of drinking milk treated with a synthetic hormone, but threatened with legal action from Monsanto, Fox wanted the negative effects played down. The court eventually threw out Akre's whistle blower lawsuit after deciding that the media is allowed to lie.

They lost the legal battle, but are not losers. They are left with their integrity intact in a business that is sorely lacking in integrity and honesty. They are the bubble gum card heroes of journalism. Not can's of hairspray sitting at a news desk getting paid millions to fly out to Iraq into the safe zones to shoot a few "I'm a great journalist!" promo shots.

AKRE AND WILSON - THESE TWO ARE REAL JOURNALISTS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZkDikRLQrw

FOX News told reporter: "We'll tell you what the news is. The news is what we say it is."

There is a big difference between news and newsatainment. News is about something important and it's not about the journalist. Stories about the journalist is selp promoting BS that has nothing to do with the news. It drives me crazy to see a reporter calling embedded with the troops and every strand of hair is sprayed in place. The camera trains not on the surroundings but on the reporter. That's not news, that's self promotion.

MEAT VS. CANDY

THIS IS NEWS - MEAT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdOb_183d1o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ics6rraHSk

THIS ISN'T; THIS IS NEWSATAINMENT - CANDY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvd1mjFYqhA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPaWGmJqNK0

THESE ARE THE MEAT EATERS

Reporters Steve Wilson and Jane Akre were first asked by FOX News to downplay a story they had investigated and written about a cancer-causing growth hormone called Posilac. The reporters refused to water the story down and wanted to run the story. When FOX's legal department attempted to redraft the story the reporters decided to blow the whistle on FOX News and filed a law suit. After the ordeal was over, it was decided by the appeals court that it's actually not against the law to falsify the "News."

As strange as that may sound it's the decision of the Courts. If you're old enough you may remember Nixon saying essentially the same thing about the U.S. Presidency and whatever he chose to do being legallu sound; and sort of like the Bush Administration reinterpreting the definition of torture. Now if you're a journalist are you willing to settle for that decision? As a serious journalist are you comfortable working for a news organization that would edit the truth for the sake of advertising dollars. Or do I assume too much that you even care about the truth? There will be no participation trophies handed out here today.

1. Learn to think like a contrarian investor
2. Learn to ask questions like a trial lawyer.
3. Listen and learn the cadence of speech; every person has a unique cadence that will disclose when they are nervous or likely lying.
4. Hone your listening skills.
5. Do your homework.
6. Learn not to walk lock-step with everyone else.
7. Like being a trial lawyer learn to expect an answer to the question you asked, which is not necessarily the one the questionee just answered. "That's an interesting answer but can you answer my question?"
8. Learn to think outside the box.
9. Learn to follow the money, which is usually where corruption lies.
10. Learn to question those who everyone else seems to be sucking up to.

IS HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejvyDn1TPr8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxeFMHyOx3I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iucE78-C2Po

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN8OfPc_aQ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmjMa2hLXpc

IS BOB WOODWARD ASLEEP AT THE SWTICH? oR dEAd? (Don't listen to this entire clip it's as boring as Woodward has become and as long winded as Google Rep's pandering to his ego.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3N4pJFPAKs

So I ask you Bob Woodward what have you been doing besides selling your most current book.

Where is the journalist in you been hiding?

When will you return to being a real journalist?

If you don't return who will take your place?

And finally, how do you live with yourself knowing who you were, what you are capable of doing as a reporter and now settling for fame and fortune on the Barnes and Noble circuit?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG3sWOUal-s

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on April 30, 2009 (boomark / email).