Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Reptilian Brains of The Media

I don’t know if you’ve been following the Judith Miller/ CIA/ Plame/ Cheney story, but the it reminds me of my own experiences with the press over the years.

I can’t think of one interview where I’ve been accurately quoted. I’ve even had quotes written that never even came out of my mouth.

I remember being called by a TV reporter from www.King5.com, wanting to know if I could give them some names of people I had worked with who had been severely bitten or mauled by dogs. The context of the situation was that they were looking to do a hit piece on certain big breeds of dog (Rottweilers, pit bulls, etc.). I told her “no way’ was I going to give her any names, and shame on her for trying to make an anti-dog story just to promote her career. I knew the story wasn’t going to be fair or balanced.

My dad used to say, speaking of the press, “don’t believe everything you read.” I don’t. And he was right.

They make stuff up all the time. In every interview I’ve been involved in, they slanted the story to fit their agenda. They weren’t trying to report the news. They were trying to make the news. They are predators, and you have to know what you are doing if you are going to be involved with them.

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