What Grumpy Editor finds amazing, with the long-time problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. finally coming to light, is that the facility for years has been the premier medical center for top U.S. government officials, including the president and members of Congress. And with print and broadcast media frequently on scene for special events and ceremonies, it seems strange that with all this outside traffic over the years no one acknowledged hearing a negative rumble from doctors, nurses and patients.
“The mainstream media was not paying attention,” sums up Celia Viggo Wexler, vice president for advocacy, Common Cause, New York, via a letter to Jim Romenesko, senior online reporter, Poynter Online. It appeared yesterday on Poynter Forum.
Wexler, with a background in print and broadcast reporting, including working for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, points to cutbacks in broadcast and print newsrooms as a key reason media have overlooked the Walter Reed problems. She cites media’s emphasis on entertainment and “news you can use” overshadowing solid, investigative journalism. “There is little incentive for reporters to go the extra mile and find good stories, stories they might not be able to report because they take too much time or they may rock too many boats, or are ‘too depressing’ for the demographic the news outlet is seeking to court.”
She also mentions “fewer and fewer newspapers have Washington bureaus and reporters are not encouraged to cover hearings, read GAO reports or do all the tedious, time-consuming work that substantive journalism requires.”
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