“IN war, truth is the first casualty.” So observed the ancient Greek Aeschylus, and his words have been repeated throughout time, referring to a hundred different conflicts. Even with global news coverage, events in Ukraine are murky. The Russian government has imposed a news blackout both in its own country and in the areas of Ukraine under its control. Many news sources in the West, betraying their objectivity by displaying their sympathy, are reporting the war from a decidedly slanted point of view.
Objective news can be found, however, if one is willing to search for it. I prefer to get news from multiple sources, and one of my most trusted is BBC out of the United Kingdom. The British Broadcasting Company has been in business for as long as radio has existed and they have built a fine reputation for fair, thorough reporting. That is not to say that I always agree with the editorial point of view of the company. But they are honest and up-front about their position, and they typically do not let their views interfere with thorough coverage. They are not afraid to call out their friends if they deserve to be called out.
Closer to home, when I need information about stories that affect the Pacific, I rely on a variety of sources, the first being the Marianas Variety. After that, I read the Honolulu Star Advertiser, The Straits Times out of Singapore, Asahi Shimbun in Japan, the Australian Broadcasting Company in Australia, and the Manila Times in the Philippines.
You may have noticed that my list of news sources is devoid of any from the mainland of America. Sad to say, most American news companies have lost all credibility with me. It all started with the handling of Bill Clinton’s scandals in the 1990s. I noticed many news organizations who championed the cause of women, suddenly looked the other way for Clinton. Boys will be boys, they said. All presidents fool around, they said. Whether that was true or not was beside the point. The fact that people, who devoted their lives to fighting the kind of behavior that Clinton was now guilty of, were now winking at it helped pull back the thin veneer of objective news gathering. I wanted facts, and all I got were excuses and justifications.
What little respect I had for American news evaporated over the past fifteen years. During the successive presidencies of Obama, Trump and now Biden, every news source in the country has revealed itself to be hopelessly partisan. Don Henley had it right: journalism is dead and gone, at least in the United States. I am sick of news broadcasters telling me someone’s behavior is unacceptable when their own people do it and it is ignored. I am sick of being told what to think about an issue, and I am sick of being told that if I do not agree with the editors of Thought-control.com then I must be a hater or a fool.
Which leads us back to the title of this column. For news about what is happening in Ukraine, I trust BBC most of the time, but I check their stories against some of the other sources mentioned in the previous paragraphs. I don’t waste my time with CNN, MSN or any of the American networks.
Polls have revealed that most people get their news from social media these days. In that case, we are ripe for the plucking. Perhaps we have the news reporting we deserve. If there is little journalistic integrity left in the newsroom, how much can there be in a blogger’s basement?
The war in Ukraine is important and we owe it to ourselves to stay informed but choose your sources carefully. And don’t just take my word for it.
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for 20 years. He currently resides on the mainland U.S.
BC Cook
