I’ve Had It

Dear NBC News Management:

I am becoming ever more deeply troubled by the day regarding the tone of the McCain campaign, and its broadcast reflection as represented by NBC and MSNBC News. I assume that there is level of journalistic due diligence that is applied to each bit of information that your network broadcasts as “news”. Additionally, I assume that the contracts with your on-air talent include ethics and morality clauses. Accounting for this degree of professionalism, I am at a loss to understand how NBC News Group has allowed, enabled, and encouraged the propagation as “news stories” themes that are demonstrably false, misleading, slanderous, and/or refuted. I would like to learn more about the process that is applied by NBC News to determine what information qualifies as news.

For instance, if the Al Franken campaign were to provide information that his opponent, Norm Coleman, was a pedophile, would that be news? How would you know if it were true? Would you put it on the air and say, “Well, they say so, and we’ve seen Mr. Coleman with several children over the last 20 years, so it’s possible that it could be true. Let’s discuss it. Mika, what do you think about Norm’s relationship with young children?”

Of course you wouldn’t. So, please tell me how a story such as that is NOT news until it’s proven – and would not be mentioned until it was at least second sourced if not 3rd and 4th sourced, yet an allegation that the leading candidate for President of the United States is a TERRORIST….read that word….TERRORIST….as in has intentions to bring harm to innocent people, TERRORIST gets hoisted to the lead story of every 30 minute segment on your network without the slightest shred of evidence to support the claim? Who is the second source on this story that corroborates this claim?

I think it’s safe to say there is no second source, and that your marginal justification for running this story plays out the the effect of “we’re reporting on the activities and statements of the McCain campaign . We are not responsible for the voracity of their claims, and we make no assurances as to their validity”. True. Agreed. But your ARE responsible for encapsulating any such reporting with that exact qualifier. However, if you then choose to engage in a discussion of the subject such as “So Pat, what do you think of this?” you have crossed the line and imputed that claim as “news”, worthy of commentary and analysis (i.e. newsworthy). At that point you have a commitment to due diligence and must be willing to stand by the voracity of the claim as if it were sourced from within your own news division.

If you choose to lower the bar for “news” to be that which is uttered by any public figure, I see no difference between you and Mary in the photocopy room who enjoys engaging me with the office gossip of the day. NBC news must have standards, and must apply those standards even when it may be inconvenient to executive directives, ratings, personal relationships, or egos.

As many people have said recently, McCain is playing with fire. This is a very serious allegation he is making. Because of McCain’s position, many Americans have begun to equate Barack Obama with historical figures such as Timothy McVeigh, Cho Seung-Hui, or the 911 Hijackers. Does NBC news condone such a correlation? If not – then say so openly, and then STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!!

There are plenty of issues to discuss that are clearly newsworthy. Stick to the news. I’m begging you. If, god forbid, a tragedy befalls Senator Obama as a result of this incessant pandering to the most vile and bigoted in our society, NBC will have blood on its hands. I sincerely hope you will assess your behavior and policies to date and adjust them according to the best interests of our Nation, and the safety of our People.

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