The News - Unmasked

Regarding yesterday’s post on the news-media's projected damage, etc., of a future earthquake on the west coast, I’d like to answer questions that have been directed my way to explain why my attitude toward news coverage of specific issues appears either naïve or jaded. A walk down one of my career history lanes may provide a clue or two.

Before I start, know that I do understand why news outlets go into prediction mode when the topic is relevant. Anyone who lives in an earthquake zone knows how fragile life can be living on or near a precipice of fracture. It’s the way in which some “news” is handled or not from which I have learned to lift an eyebrow at what is covered and why, and what is not covered – and why.

"If it bleeds, it leads" is a classic quote on how sensationalistic and/or hollow, basic news coverage can be.

My first job in TV was as an “Investigative Researcher” in the news department at the local PBS station during the late 70’s. I would often be sent out into the field to gather as much information as was necessary to build a strong investigative story. Several of my assignments were fascinating in the classic cloak-and-dagger milieu.

I lurked in alleys in downtown LA outside of alleged Mafia-run clothing manufacturing “sweat-shops” in the “Garment District” to gain proof of the exploitation and use of illegal immigrants as unwilling worker-slaves. Wandering around the back doors of the shops, taking pictures of “suspicious activity,” was fun. Super-Sleuth me loved the intrigue.

A defining moment in the shift from a wide-eyed info-gathering enthusiast to a WTF mode about how superficial news coverage can be, came into play while investigating the Iranian Students Society/Association (ISS/ISA) protesters who were students at U.S. colleges railing against the oppressive, brutal regime of the “Shah of Iran” (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi). The students demonstrated on college campus’s across the nation, always cloaked from view by wearing paper bags over their heads to avoid recognition that could – in the end – lead to the punishment (or death) of their relatives back home.

It was a paranoid and trying time for the students and their families. Most of the news coverage of the protests were brief and visual, rather than substantive. My mission, via the Executive Producer of the news program, was to delve further into the issue; gain information from any protesting Iranian student willing to talk with me “off the record” concerning what life was really like in Iran; listen/digest their horror stories of alleged U.S.-Iran cooperation to intimidate Iranian students from telling the world the truth about tortures and other atrocities aimed against Iranian citizens by their own government.

Armed with spiral notebooks and a tape recorder (remember them?), I would meet with a few brave ISS/ISA members in coffee shops/funky diners off-campus of UCLA and USC where long discussions-interviews ensued, and manila file folders full of “secret” information were slipped to me under the sticky diner’s tables to be taken back to the station to copy and return to the student at our next encounter.

After a month of the clandestine meetings, I had procured very damning evidence of Iran’s frightening regime, and was quite eager to have the full story exposed on our news program. The Executive Producer was thrilled with what had been gleaned, and arranged a meeting with the News Director before taping the segment so that she ("News Director") could have input for all on how to handle the story. With a strong background in investigative TV journalism, expectations were high among the staff that she would realize what a scoop she had on her hands, and be excited to produce what other’s would not.

Off to the meeting went several producers and me. Holding file folders of the copied materials in hand, I recited the background info from my notebook of interviews and clues. When finished, the room was deathly silent as all eyes were on our Director. Rocking back and forth in her leather executive chair, she looked directly into my eyes, sighed, and with a casual "thank you” expression, blurted, “Oh hell, all I want to know is why they wear those damn bags over their heads.”

Pfffft.



Note: In 1979, the Shah was ousted from power partially due to the relentless outcry of Iranian students (who used varying names of their organizations throughout the years).