Last night I saw the most intriguing piece of television - Richard Engel's War Zone Diary on MSNBC. The images were shocking, disturbing, upsetting, dreadful, and the entire message of it would bring anyone back to the reality of what's going on across the ocean.
When I studied broadcast journalism, I quickly realized I was not the type of person who had the guts to report from the center of a tropical storm, let alone from the middle of Iraq. I greatly respected my peers who yearned to do just that. They didn't care what those experiences put them through - they wanted to bring the news to the rest of the world.
At 10 p.m. last night, MSNBC aired an account of Richard Engel's four years in Iraq. Years. As he said, "I've used up all my 9 lives," he's watched friends die, he's lost his relationship with his wife, and basically risked his life with each passing minute. Why would he stay? To bring the news of what's really going on over there to us over here.
That's when I started to get mad. Why isn't this what we see on TV every day? Sure it's depressing, but maybe then people (including myself) would stop and think a little bit more often about our soldiers and the innocent people being injured and dying. When our country is at war, why are Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith all we see on the news?
I understand ratings and I understand advertising dollars. I respect great advertising. I recognize that Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith bring in viewers. No one wants to watch upsetting, disheartening news all day. But you know what? Maybe we need to. Maybe we need to realize that Britney Spears is really the least significant thing in our world, especially when you compare her to the importance of any one of our soldiers.
Why can't our advertisers stand up and for one day let a network air the real news? Imagine if advertising agencies and their clients banded together and said, "We'll give a news network all the money they need to air the real news, commercial free for one week." Use it as publicity if you want. Use that opportunity to sell your products by showing what big hearts you have. I don't care, because the impact will be greater than that.
As a journalism student, the idea of the media as a watchdog was reinforced constantly throughout my college studies. Students are taught to understand what every word of the First Amendment means to aid them in performing that watchdog role. No matter what party you support or what your political beliefs are, we need the news to let us know what's going on in our government. News organizations will never have the opportunity to carry out their function if we as viewers show them that all we're interested in is entertainment. Reporters are risking their lives to bring us the news; let's show them that means something. So, I not only ask advertisers to do their part, but I ask all viewers to turn off the TV the next time CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News talk about the latest celebrity divorce. Demand better. Demand the news.
If you haven't watched Engel's War Zone Diary, it's a must see. On MSNBC.com you can read part of the diary transcript as well as watch the entire video.