As this semester is wrapping up and our last chance to post
blogs is upon us.I am troubled by
knowing that I did not write my blog about how Jim Carney, White House Press Secretary,
shapes; frames; and spoon feeds news stories to the media.If you ever have time watch a daily briefing,
seriously, it’s incredible.
Aside from that I would like you all to know that I
sincerely enjoyed reading your discussion posts and your blogs.One of the most enjoyable aspects of this
class to me was the engagement that we have with one another in this virtual academic
environment.
Good luck to all of you in your future endeavors and thanks
for all that you taught me this semester!
Lara Logan is not the first, she is simply the latest
casualty of the Benghazi scandal which unfolded on 9/11/12.
Over the past year the issues surrounding Benghazi have
resulted in the tragic loss of four American lives in Benghazi, Libya.The tragedy was followed by the resignation
of General David Petraeus (allegedly because of an extramarital affair). Allegations of a CIA cover up also unfolded in
the wake of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.The military response became politicized in a
presidential campaign, there was finger pointing that filmmakers had incited
the attack, then the ultimate acceptance of responsibility by Hilary Clinton,
followed up with the acceptance of responsibility by Barack Obama.Now it is journalism’s and Lara Logan’s
turn.
Lara and the producer of 60 Minutes clearly failed in
ensuring journalistic integrity and making sure that the story was told and
told right.She is also the one in front
of the television camera which makes her a very convenient target, and easy to
eliminate from the focus of attention.
The public however is now more confused than they were before
the story aired.An accurate accounting
of what exactly transpired in Libya on 9/11/12 has yet to be reported in a
clear and accurate manner. This story is
not one in which it happened and people totally forgot about, it has had some
staying power, which is now, hopefully, rekindled in light of the current controversy.
In the spirit of journalistic integrity as well as the
preservation of their credibility 60 Minutes owes their viewers more than an
apology.For their part 60 Minutes and
CBS should take on this issue again and make sure that the facts and discrepancies
surrounding Benghazi are brought to light in order to educate and inform their viewers.Although in fairness to news outlets, this
issue is so big, complex, and convoluted it does not lend itself well to a
report.I believe that a documentary needs
to be done with all of the facts laid out, and with interviews conducted on key
government personnel.
