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October 27, 2005
Mr. Scott Faust, Executive Editor
The Salinas Californian
123 West Alisal Street
Salinas, California 93901
Keeping Our
Freedom
Dear Scott:
As a sometime critic of the media, as well as a regular
writer for the Californian,
it is time to offer well-deserved praise. The October
27, 2005, issue of the Salinas Californian has
exhibited top honors for presenting "real news" -
which readers may recall was defined in my March 3, 2004
Integrity Matters weekly column. Journalist-historian
Richard Reeves defined "real news," as "the
news you and I need to keep our freedoms." Take
some time and review the contents of The Salinas
Californian for Thursday, October 27, 2005. Throughout
the publication, readers were presented with news that
would help strengthen the society we can so easily
take for granted, to keep our freedoms.
The October 27 issue can be objectively evaluated
by discovering answers to these three questions: 1. What
portion of the news coverage is essential to our freedoms?
2. What percentage is entertainment, posing as news?
3. What amount is opinion, masquerading under the banner
of "fair and balanced news?" Since real news
is critical for a free society, let's review the
October 27 issue, in detail.
Starting with section B, Nation-World; the focus was
on government integrity from the White House and the
Supreme Court to the leadership of the United Nations. Also
highlighted were challenges to international communication
and religious freedom along side challenges to security
by terrorism and regulations to improve the quality of
health care. Inside the Nation-World section were more
stories related to keeping freedom: coping with
the aftermath of Mexico's recent hurricane
disaster, important relief for Pakistan's quake victims
and justice for the Russian who murdered an air
traffic controller.
The Opinion page continued the "freedom" message
with an editorial about parental influence in how video
games are presented to children. One columnist took
aim on "transparency" in the Whitehouse regarding
war and decision-making. The other column emphasized
the importance of taking the longer view on economic
manipulations versus allowing cycles to unfold, and often
adjusting in constructive ways. The Business page dealt
with health, travel and entertainment - as each related
to the free market demands of price, quality and integrity.
The front section, local in focus, also brought home
the freedom-keeping message: police are diligently
fighting crime, a winery is contributing to the local economy, students
learn about opportunities from a job fair, appropriate
children's materials are a focus of a local movie
theatre, the freedom to protest is alive and well and
the State Controller's office has lots of "stuff" for
those who are ready to come and make claims.
Keep at it. We depend upon real news because it is
the news we need to keep our freedoms.
Sincerely,
James F. Bracher
