The Rest Of The Story

He would greet us with the trademark "Hello Americans..... Staaaannnd by for News!!" When broadcast legend Paul Harvey past away this weekend, so too did a radio era. He was the last of a generation of journalists who had that unique ability to paint a picture in the minds eye with nothing but carefully crafted words and a technique that set Harvey apart from the rest, the masterful use of the inflection, the intonation, the.... pause. No one in broadcasting could wrap his arms around a story like Paul Harvey.

From the time I was in high school and knew I wanted to make a living at this craft, Paul Harvey proved an inspiration. I would wait with great anticipation to hear his news and comment as well as his Rest Of The Story broadcasts. It was a privilege to one day host my own talk show with the Rest Of The Story as my lead-in. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Harvey in person at a Radio Television News Directors convention in San Antonio, Texas in 1991. He addressed us all and I listened as a grandson would at the knee of his grandfather. I hinged on each word, each exhortation, each challenge to get it right as journalists and to maintain a standard worthy of the calling.

He once said of his unique style that as a young broadcaster that he tried to imitate someone else until his boss gave him this advice. If you try to be like someone else, the best you can ever hope for is second best. Be your own person. Good advise that I took to heart early on in my own career.

I admired so much about the man, but probably nothing more than his ability throughout his career to remain unchanged by fame, fortune and popularity. He was at his death, the same grounded individual who got into the business as a young high schooler in 1933. Paul Harvey was a man of high ideals, true integrity and deep faith. In a world where it's not always popular to share that faith, Paul Harvey never shied away from that important part of his life. As my sister so appropriately put it in an e-mail to me upon his passing, "Now Paul Harvey does really know . . . the rest of the story."

Rest in peace, Mr. Harvey. Job well done. . . . . . . Good Day!!

I've Changed My Opinion

Having spent over 25 years in journalism, one of the first questions I still get from people who find out my background is, "Tell me, does the news media have an agenda?  Is there really a bias in the newsroom?"   

Until recently, my answer was two fold.  First of all in the mainstream media there is an overall bias and it leans decidedly to the left.  But I was always quick to add that the bias was not necessarily intentional.  My point being that reporters by and large don't get together each day before they head out to cover the news and say, "Gee, how can we slant today's coverage?"  It's just that most of the people working in journalism (for whatever reason) come from a liberal background.  So, they look at the world through liberal eyes, so to speak.  After all, every one of us comes to our jobs with preconceptions and sometimes they  interfere with our news coverage.  The stories we choose to cover, the way we approach stories and filter the information is going to be influenced by our past.  The goal is to (as best we can) remove those bias's from our coverage.  I've always felt most of time journalists tried their best reach for that goal.

But I'm changing my opinion.  A new poll at journalism.org clearly shows a strong bias in the media and it is decidedly to the left.  I'm afraid that many of journalists today are more interested in activism than journalism.  With the strong influence of cable news and "opinion" based shows disguised as straight journalism, the line is not only blurred, it's in many cases erased.  It's across the board in broadcast, cable, print and otherwise, the bias by the mainstream media is as left of center as it's ever been and getting worse.  The evidence is all around us to point to a vast majority in the media who intentionally slant coverage and interject their own opinion into stories that are broadcast and printed under the banner of objective news.  

The problem is not every consumer of news realizes this.   They hear the commentary and opinion and take it as journalism, not as editorial.  It's amazing that we live in a world where more information than ever is available at our fingertips and yet the electorate is less informed than ever before.   We get our news in short sound bites and sensational copy vying for our easily distracted attention.  Unless the American people wake up to this reality, we will find our nation heading even farther down a path of propaganda difficult to work our way out of.