dear media,

I once was sad for you. I wondered what the impact would after you were gone. We’ve been predicting your demise for well over a decade as everyone said “new-media” was going to kill you. Once upon a time, I was terribly sad for this.

I worried about who would fill the void for responsible journalism. Reporting on issues that matter: Going deep and digging into things beyond the banal and superficial.

Over the past six months I’ve been paying attention. I’ve watched nightly newscasts, read the headlines, etc. And? I’m nauseous. You’ve forsaken us.

Here’s a tip: There is a war going on. I”m not asking you to take a position, I want you to freaking report on it. Report on the big successes that occur. Report on the deaths. Report on the injuries. Report on the heroism of our soldiers. Report on the true costs of war. Report on the people in Iraq helping us. Report on the sectarian violence. Report on the contractors and the unprecedented private nature of this war. For the love of god, please, just…report. Here’s a NY Times Op-Ed. This is the must-read piece of June.

I think generally, the public would rather not think about the things we find unpleasant. We don’t ask for the coverage. And, very graciously, you oblige by not providing it. But where we’re sending hundreds of thousands of Americans matters. Where we’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars matters. Yet, you wouldn’t know it since the war is apparently “old news.”

You’ve savaged your responsibility yet again. This goes perfectly with reporting on the trade deficit, the budget deficit, the state of education system, inner cities, the pathetic war on drugs, our crumbling national infrastructure.

You sicken me.

love,
surya

5/27/13 – I have zero expectations for the media now.