The Media Circus Is a Flop

January 29, 2002



The Media Circus Is a Flop



Generally speaking, it is my view that the U.S. media is confused and fails to understand what is, and is not, of concern to most Americans when it comes to the war on terrorism. I'm reacting to the media in general and not to The Wall Street Journal specifically.

How long do viewers, readers and listeners have to suffer the minute by minute reporting on alleged "inhumane" treatment of terrorists and the saga of Taliban John Walker? The last time I checked, the American plan for humane treatment and protection of terrorist prisoner rights was, and is, in accord with accepted principles, and it will be honored.

Perhaps I've lost touch with the soul of America and all it stands for, but for one, I'm tired of the constant media chatter about Walker and terrorist prisoners. Why not more coverage of young Americans in the Armed Forces . . . particularly those who lost their lives in the war zone in and around Afghanistan and the those who perished on Sept. 11, or the thousands of vets in the 163 veterans hospitals in the U.S., or the surviving heroes of Sept. 11 -- firefighters, police and rescue workers. Why must we be force fed, day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute with stories about John Walker, or the exaggerated allegations about treatment of terrorist prisoners. What next, a lucrative book deal, a movie and a TV mini-series?

Today some in the media seem almost bored by victory. Eager for any new sensation to fill their columns or air time, they regard the war on terrorism as yesterday's news. The freezing of terrorist assets may be vital to national security, but it has less visual interest than your average high speed car chase. And it doesn't hold a candle to greedy and possibly culpable Enron executives or paper-shredding accountants. With each new round of media criticism -- over military tactics, military tribunals, or the alleged mistreatment of John Walker and al Qaeda terrorists -- it has become clear that many so-called opinion leaders are anything but.

I first started thinking about all this during the recent debate over the Bush administration's possible use of military tribunals. It was a strange sort of debate, ranging somewhere between hyperbole and hysteria. It engaged the passions of few Americans outside the chattering classes. Within a matter of days it collapsed of its own weightlessness. It's not hard to figure out why. When the external threat is greatest, even people normally suspicious of Big Brother are willing to cut their government a little slack, if they trust their leaders. To put it bluntly, when your survival is at stake, who are you going to rely on: a president who has done precisely what he said he would do in waging a textbook military campaign against the Taliban -- or the editorial page of the New York Times?

So our priorities have changed. Our perspective has changed. Since that day of unimaginable terror and incomparable bravery, we have learned many things. We have learned that none of us is invulnerable. At the same time, we've learned that what unites Americans is infinitely greater than what divides us. We've learned that self-absorption is a dangerous, even deadly, luxury in the modern world. We've learned that politicians can be statesmen, that presidents can be looked up to, and that heroes can be found on virtually every street corner.

Every normal American has shed tears since Sept. 11. Tell us more about real "heroes," those who have kept America free and continue to do so. Tell us more about others who were killed or left behind by the dastardly deeds perpetrated by the likes of John Walker and al Qaeda terrorists.

Enough already. Wake me when the media circus is over.

Bob Dole
Washington

(Mr. Dole was elected to the House in 1960 and the Senate in 1968. He was Senate majority leader in 1996 when he resigned to run as the GOP presidential candidate against Bill Clinton.)

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Updated January 29, 2002 12:01 a.m. EST





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