Media joins list of the right-wing’s victims

Anyone else notice a pattern here? Some wingnut on the right thinks up a lie (Climategate, intelligent design, tax cuts reduce deficit, death panels, Shirley Sherrod, same-sex marriage is evil, etc.). The lie doesn't need to have any basis, it just needs to inflame the most ignorant among us. This crowd likes to blame their life situation on anybody or anything other than themselves; it must be the fault of the gays, or Mexicans, or African Americans, or the “Gubmnt”!

This kind of thing has been happening a long time but there is a dangerous new development - the mainstream media now tends to take the bait and run with it. Why? Because it sells.

Take “Climategate” for example. Big Oil or somebody goes through millions of e-mails between scientists trying to find one or two they can manipulate into sounding less than credible. They then make the ridiculous claim these e-mails prove climate change is a hoax. This is quickly dismissed by the scientific community but the MSM prints it as if there is actually a “debate.” Now, the scientists have to prove it all over again instead of working on the problem.

When it turns out 2009 was the world's second hottest year and capped the hottest decade on record, the findings are buried in the back pages. Unfortunately, while time and effort is put into the “debate” there are people really suffering.

Shouldn't the media be focusing on how we can solve the world's many problems?

Torben Platt

Solon