We often hear these days that America is a divided nation.
Blame for this situation is frequently aimed at “the media,” which implies that we in the media are somehow responsible for just about everything that’s wrong in the world.
Many of these comments also seem to imply that, other than during the Civil War, America has never been more divided.
If you read the history of this great nation, you will soon learn that division is not all that unique.
Politicians
Politicians love to complain about the media, except when they say something with which they agree.
They love news sources that agree with them and loathe those that do not, as do many of their supporters.
I have been a member of “the media” for most of my 85 years, beginning at age 10, having owned one paper and written, edited and published for others during my life.
The first paper I ever read was the Madera (California) Tribune in the 1940s when we lived in that San Joaquin Valley town.
That was during World War II when newspapers and radio were pretty much the sole source of news.
The closest thing we had to television in those days was newsreels at the movies, which were accompanied by stentorian male voices trying hard to emulate what the speaker imagined was the voice of God preaching down on we the great unwashed.
Media’s function
The media’s function is to inform the public, which isn’t as easy as some folks think.
The problem is that many people do not understand this, and get upset when something is reported that they don’t like, like reporting that someone they support has done or said something that they should not have said or done.
They also get upset if they believe the media does not report something negative about a person they don’t like.
We hear this frequently, even from some folks in the media who should know better.
When I read this, it’s usually about something that was reported but overlooked by the person doing the complaining.
Competition
When we published the Mojave Desert News, we competed with the Antelope Valley Press, Bakersfield Californian and the California City Enterprise.
My philosophy towards those papers was that none of us was going to put the other out of business, so we engaged in friendly competition.
At our level, we tried to print the facts rather than express a point of view, except in editorials or columns, which is what most of the media tries to do.
We worked to provide our readers with the best quality coverage that we could, given our size and resources, which I think we did judging from what we heard from them.
Family involvement
Our family has always been involved in their communities and the media.
My brother Mike served Gov. and President Ronald Reagan, in both jobs reinventing the way politicians dealt with the media.
He was able to do that because the man he served was a grown-up who possessed a solid sense of humor and humility, something all too often missing from politicians in these troubled times.
A man who also understood how government functions, Reagan was also an avid reader who devoured the briefing books his staff prepared, as evidenced by the many notes he wrote in the margins.
Our sister Susan wrote for several papers including this one, and served on the Mojave Air and Spaceport and Mojave School Boards, and, currently, the Tehachapi City Council.
Dad served on two local school Boards and Mom covered news for two area newspapers.
I serve on the Mojave Air and Spaceport Board and am active in a number of community activities, something members of our family have always done, and which has helped us in our media careers.
Getting stuff done
Listening to many current politicians, I often wonder how much they know and understand about how our form of government is supposed to function.
It certainly doesn’t function by insulting others or by always assuming that the other side is always wrong.
That’s not governing; it’s self-promotion.
Grownups get things done in families, business and all the other ways we interact, by sitting down and working together.
A recent local example is the banners honoring top Mojave and California City high school students displayed on street light poles in Mojave.
Folks in the Mojave Chamber of Commerce, Mojave and California City high schools and Mojave Unified School District worked together with help from a number of other folks, especially Michelle Slade and chamber Board member Heather Benes, to make that happen.
By the way, those solar street lights are there because of the efforts of former resident Todd Quelet who raised funds from airport and community businesses to purchase and install the lights.
That’s the way stuff gets done at the local level in America, so why can’t our highly paid full-time politicians operate the same way?
Blaming the media has become an excuse for covering their behinds.
Patricia Ebel
Speaking of getting things done, Kern County lost a great lady last week with the passing of Patricia “Patsy” Ebel of Bakersfield.
A licensed professional engineer, Pat served Kern County government for 29 years in the county public works department, retiring as transportation engineer.
Patsy was one of those people you could always call on with questions about issues involving county roads.
She was always courteous and helpful. If she didn’t know the answer to a question, she could always be counted on to get back to you quickly with helpful information.
Patsy was also involved in her church and community, the sort of person who, despite family and other responsibilities, could always find the time to help out.
She will be missed.
Question of the Week
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Blaming the media is no way to get things done - Antelope Valley Press
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