Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

3-26-91 . . . Journalists claim to report rather than create or construct the news, but I’ve long had my doubts. A recent case confirms my suspicion. Several weeks ago a speeding motorist [Rodney King] was arrested and severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers. A citizen happened to videotape the beating and make the tape available to news organizations such as CNN [Cable News Network]. Naturally, the incident created an uproar nationwide. Even President [George Herbert Walker] Bush got into the act, claiming that the scenes on the videotape made him “sick”. Now, all of a sudden, there are reports from across the country about police abuse. Five New York City officers have been indicted for murder; civil-rights groups claim that Texas has a worse record than California for police misconduct; and citizens are coming out of the woodwork with stories of manhandling by police officers. It appears that journalists, sensing a public mood for news of this sort, are going out of their way to create a story. There’s nothing wrong with bringing police abuses to light, mind you; I’m glad it’s happening. What bothers me is that it took a videotaped beating to stir the public consciousness and that journalists wait until the people want to hear about something before making it known to them. Journalists claim to be leaders, in the sense that they are not driven by public interest, when in fact they are followers. They find out what people want to know and get it for them. They are nothing more than salespeople.