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0 Comments | Insight on the News, Dec 4, 2000 | by Paul M. Rodriguez

Dear Readers,

As our cover art implies, the 2000 election may be recorded in history as voters' revenge on both political parties and a call to clean up their acts and quit the squabbling.

What brings this to mind is the behavior both of Richard Nixon in 1960 and the U.S. Olympic gymnastic team this summer. Both experienced unfair results but acted like adults, notwithstanding that in doing so each lost the gold. No winners these Americans.

Even as we write, the final tally of the election results is in disarray amid racial and political bigotry that is being fanned by partisan Democrats and, in turn, by a smarmy national press corps that has contributed to a new age of American discontent. Make no bones about this: The press stands by while Rome burns, set to torch by the same media mavens who claim to be neutral while fanning the coals of partisan heat.

In their rush to be first, the national media put business ahead of journalistic ethics. Forget about the firewall between the editorial and business sides of journalism, designed to insulate newsmen -- the lust for glory has eliminated any semblance of integrity in either. Even the network news anchors, burbling in their stentorian voices, no longer hide their subjective take on hard news. Maybe it's always been so, but somehow Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and Frank Reynolds don't come to mind as having been unprincipled to the point of rejecting even the pretense of objective journalism.

Prior to the election, there was talk about George W. Bush winning the popular vote and Al Gore the electoral count; Democrats said that'd be too bad but the Constitution must be followed. Now that the situation is reversed, so is their position. Instead of looking out for the nation, hubris has led to dishonesty as evident as voter rolls collected from gravestones. Disgusting. And it seems voters knew what they wanted after all.

Until next week then, God bless.

Paul M. Rodriguez Managing Editor