News judgment fails the test

As a 33-year veteran of what is derided as the "Mainstream Media," I feel qualified to offer this criticism. The national media, particularly the broadcast/cable segment, fail to see what is truly important and instead feed viewers their politicized and celebrity-focused version of important events.

That was evident this week when CNN and MSNBC focused exclusively on week-old coverage of the Feb. 14 Parkland, Fla., school shooting. Last week, it was a huge story — a frightening event that scared and frustrated every parent who sends a child to a public school. But by Feb. 21, a week later, when the Rev. Billy Graham died at age 99, not much new had happened in the Parkland shooting story, yet the cable news I saw while working out at the gym focused on the week-old shooting while ignoring the death of one of the most recognized and consequential persons of the 20th century.

Graham's death was meaningful to millions of American. For a great many people, their religion is the most important thing in their lives, and Graham represented that spiritual importance. News media should follow up on tragic events like the Parkland shooting, but that doesn't mean they should ignore later, more immediate news of great importance to the public. Those follow-ups I saw focused almost exclusively on efforts to change state and federal laws to make combat weapons, such as the one used in the Parkland school massacre, more difficult to obtain. No new developments had arisen in the shooting story. The news coverage focused on a political agenda.

Some news outlet got it right. The Raleigh News & Observer did a wonderful job chronicling the life of Graham. His death was the lead story on 1A with a separate front-page story on his influence on N.C. politics and three pages inside the front section with additional coverage of Graham's life. I'm sure the Charlotte Observer and other N.C. media also gave good coverage of Graham's passing. But the national news also should have given Graham his due. 

I have made this argument before. Princess Diana died Aug. 31, 1997, and news media provided wall-to-wall coverage for more than a week afterward as every aspect of her life and death was examined and re-examined. When Mother Teresa died days after Diana, on Sept. 5, the international news media barely noticed, even though she was a legend in the world of Christian missions and caring for the poor. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Her life's work warranted coverage, and her death should have been front-page news. It should have overshadowed the days-old reporting of Diana's death, but it didn't. The news media chose glamour and celebrity over sacrifice, faith and compassion. This discrepancy exemplifies the national media's shift toward entertainment over substance, amusement over importance.

It's no wonder that many Americans do not trust the news they see on television or online when the most important aspect of many people's lives — their faith — is given no value by news editors.