Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "critical-thought"

I have got to stop watching the evening news. And listening to the radio. And reading the newspaper.
Twenty-first century journalism -- or should I say, what passes for journalism these days -- isn't good for my blood pressure. In fact, as a former reporter, it makes my blood boil.
You see, when I began working at a daily newspaper as a high school freshman back in the 1980s, journalists still believed in fairness and objectivity. That meant getting both sides of the story. No matter what.
Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, fairness and objectivity weren't just words I lived by -- they formed the philosophy and ethos I tried to embody.
That's not to say I didn't have strong personal feelings about the issues that I covered, or that I didn't form friendships with sources. It simply meant that I worked twice as hard not to let personal feelings or personal relationships influence the way I did my job.
As I saw it, it was my job to present "Side A," "Side B," and even "Side C" and "Side D," when necessary. It was then up to the reader to decide what to believe.
It was a philosophy I embraced not only as an award-winning reporter, but as the author of my memoir, "Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey."
Sadly, that philosophy has fallen out of favor not only in the world of mainstream, corporate journalism, but in community journalism as well.
The only news that matters these days is the news that "sells." Sanctimonious, self-righteous and self-important "journalists" no longer care about getting the story right, as long as they get it first. They tell the world what to think in 10-second soundbites and Internet blurbs. And the world laps it up. There is no such thing as critical thought.
You don't believe me? Then just pick up a newspaper... or listen to the radio... or watch the evening news. And tell me what you think.
Until next time, "That's life..."

On Friday morning, I stood on a bluff overlooking Long Island Sound and watched a dedication ceremony for a 9/11 memorial.
A lone bag piper played Amazing Grace. The haunting notes of Taps echoed across the water. Family members read the names of the fallen. Bells tolled. Tears fell.
I was sad. And angry. I will always be angry about the terrorist attacks on my country on September 11, 2001.
What infuriates me more than anything is when politicians talk about that day. In sanctimonious and self-serving speeches, they tell us we must never forget what happened that day -- as if anyone could.
What disgusts me more than anything is that some people already have. According to news accounts, a group of American students surveyed admitted to having little to no idea why we were attacked that day.
What scares me more than anything is that in spite of the tragic loss of so many lives that day and in the years that followed, so many people still seem to take everything we have for granted.
Some of you may view this as an indictment of a specific politician or political party, but trust me, it isn't. If anything, it is a universal indictment.
It is an indictment of all leaders who fail to recognize the ongoing threats to everything we hold so dear.
It is an indictment of those that discourage critical, independent thinking.
It is an indictment of those who see no need to question authority.
It is an indictment of the students who are too ignorant, intimidated or afraid to question what they are taught.
It is an indictment of those in the media that report only one side of a story.
It is an indictment of educators, those in pop culture and those in the media who work to advance a specific agenda.
It is an indictment of the "polite police" who discourage frank discussion in the name of political correctness.
It is an indictment I am uniquely qualified to make. I am a first-generation American whose father fled prosecution and persecution of an oppressive regime.
As I write a book based on my father's life, I am more convinced than ever that freedom is the single most important gift anyone can have.
I am not alone.
In his essay on the Secret of Kosovo published in Landmarks in Serbian Culture and History in 1983, Marko S. Markovic wrote: "If there is no peace without freedom, there is no freedom without truth."
Bozidar Knezevic, the world-renowned Serbian Philosopher of history, also wrote: "Only in liberty does one learn to love and respect liberty as a vital necessity: only in freedom can one learn to use freedom, just as one can breathe only in the air. It is only free men and nations that know how to respect the liberty of others. As long as there are captive peoples, the free will be in danger."
Until next time, "That's life..."