Guilty until proven innocent

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Jan, 2008 by Joe Saltzman

THE NEWS MEDIA SEEMS WILLING to forgive the President and Congress for the poor economy, no national health care, and the Iraqi war. Most outlets have given up investigative reporting, closing their eyes to corporate corruption and malfeasance. They ignore the poor, disenfranchised, sick, and elderly while fawning over their coveted demographic of 18- to 49-year-olds.

Yet, when it comes to celebrities, it is no holds barred. Whether it be Lindsey Lohan, Martha Stewart, O.J. Simpson, Phil Spector, Britney Spears, or Barry Bonds, the news media gleefully holds endless discussions and spits out countless headlines proclaiming any celebrity accused of a crime the lowest form of life on the planet. Commentators put on their holier-than-thou hats and condemn these celebrities with as much vigor as Salem citizens went after their "witches."

Innocent until proven guilty? Not when it comes to a celebrity, especially a sports celebrity. O.J. Simpson is in trouble again? Show no restraint: Go get him with everything you have. Get on a TV talk show, pointing out that, even if he is not guilty of this crime (armed robbery), he surely deserves prison because he killed his wife and another man. It does not matter mat Simpson was declared innocent of those charges. The media, especially the endless talk shows and commentaries, long ago convicted him.

The Federal perjury charges against Barry Bonds seemed like a vindication for the sports media who pronounced him guilty years ago for lying about taking steroids. No one in the media seems to care that many experts maintain the charges are weak. Being charged with a crime if you are celebrity means either you are guilty of that crime or something else we do not know about.

The media, filled with self-serving, arrogant, ill-informed gossipers on TV, cannot wait to go after Bonds. They discuss his guilt, the fact that a liar like this should not be allowed in the Hall of Fame, and that he merely is getting what he deserves. At least the sports media has confessed repeatedly--it is in almost every story--that the press hates "Barry the Brat" for the way he has scorned reporters throughout his career. In their world, being scorned is as bad as any crime. Do whatever you want in the outside world, but either pay homage to sports journalists or face the consequences.

All of this has been a despicable chapter in American journalism that keeps repeating itself without anyone showing any shame or remorse. Like some vigilante mob, sportswriters go after fallen athletes like vultures feasting on fresh meat--and this has rubbed off on the rest of the news media whose scorn regarding Bonds and Simpson is not even disguised anymore. It has become accepted practice.

This not only is bad journalism but, on some level, a national tragedy. In a world where everyone seems to rush to judgment, the news media could provide a valuable reminder that no one, even a celebrity, is guilty until proven innocent. It is a golden opportunity to give Americans an important civics lesson, to remind the public to withhold judgment until all the facts are in and a court decision is rendered.

Instead, the media plays to the worst instincts of the people, putting on a show based solely on charges; when the verdict comes in, months or years later, it seems anticlimactic and unimportant. More often than not, the verdict refutes all coverage from the time the celebrity is charged to the time the verdict is announced, but no one apologizes for that. Even when the verdict meets expectations, it is announced with such glee and satisfaction that it violates the minimum requirements of good journalism: accuracy and fairness. The concept of objectivity--a reporter covering the news without bias or personal feelings--long has been considered unrealistic. However, the concepts of fairness and accuracy still should prevail. When it comes to a celebrity, however, all we get is endless commentary that is personal, poorly reported, and one-sided. If journalists are not going to worry about fairness, who is? It is easy for journalists to say they keep that bias out of the news pages, but it is everywhere else in print, and on TV, radio, and the Internet, where most people get their information.

Kicking someone when they are down used to be considered unfair and un-American. No longer. Now it has become the national pastime of sports reporters who are thrilled to have a story in which the American public seems interested. "To err is human, to forgive divine" used to be something most people believed. No more. If you are a celebrity and make a mistake, you are fair game. If you are a celebrity who has disrespected the press, all bets are off. You are dead meat.

So, if you know any celebrities, be sure to remind them: Work hard and keep out of trouble but, above all, be nice to the news media--because if you do not, the press will get you and it will not be pretty. Just keep your eyes on the Barry Bonds, Britney Spears, and O.J. Simpson stories in this new year. They all are guilty as charged--until the verdict comes in. The game is afoot even before charges are filed. By the time the press gets through with the constant repetition of apparent guilt, the trial will not matter much unless it confirms the already-reached conclusions of the media. If it does not, no worries, as there always is another celebrity's fall from grace to tackle.