Bill Moyers is one of those Americans who remind us about what has been good about America. His voice has been one of the important remnants of decency and integrity for our times.
Believing that, I have had hopes over the past three years that Mr. Moyers would take on still more than he has of the mantle of prophetic truth-telling. Few Americans can compare with his stature, prominence and moral standing, so I believed Bill Moyers might really be able to help awaken America and change the political dynamic of our endangered nation. And I still do.
Mr. Moyers has indicated, however, that he considers himself to be a journalist, not an activist. And as a journalist he has indeed made an important contribution.
But the state of the nation remains extremely perilous, and –as I expressed in my “Lament of a True Patriot” (at www.nonesoblind.org/blog/?p=919)– the American body politic has not responded to this threat in the way that our Founders intended for us to. And in view of the continuing need for more boldness in defense of our American democracy to confront and counter the utter brazenness of the Bushite assault on our democratic heritage, I have not relinquished my hopes for Mr. Moyers to come forward still more boldly to confront the present assault on our democratic heritage. And to do so as a journalist.
THE STORY OF A LIFETIME FOR ANY JOURNALIST TO INVESTIGATE
The public needs a full report on how the American free press failed to sound the alarm as the lawlessness and the dishonesty of this regime became evident.
The lawlessness of this presidency is, I would assert, one of the most significant and consequential stories in American history. And one that, as a journalist, Mr. Moyers has helped to cover. But that’s not the story I’m asking him to cover now.
Instead, I am suggesting that Mr. Moyers investigate the story of how the free press in America has failed to fulfill the vital function our Founders intended. It was precisely for this kind of situation, after all –the emergence of a presidency claiming to be above the law, usurping virtually dictatorial powers– that these great men enshrined “freedom of the press” in our Constitution. In the face of a lawless presidency, the press was to represent the interests of the people, sounding the alarm even though that required standing up to the regime.
But our corporate media have, by and large, done the very opposite.
I’ll not spend time here documenting that assertion. It’s been done elaborately in many places by many people.
THE DOG THAT DIDN’T BARK
Suffice it to say that Mr.
Moyers could do the nation a great service if he put his considerable
journalistic skills, and his priceless reputation for integrity and
basic human decency, to work in investigating our malfunctioning alarm
system and ask such questions as these:
· Why is it that the
corporate media spent vastly more investigative energy reporting to the
American people about a sexual indiscretion by an American president
than in investigating abundant signs that a sitting president has been
conducting a coordinated and comprehensive assault on the rule of law?
· What accounts for the fact that the press treated Nixon’s crimes
which, in comparison with today’s, were relatively limited and minor,
as a matter of great national importance, but has refused to give to
today’s altogether unprecedented presidential assault on the
Constitution any such front-and-center attention?
· Did the
mainstream American system of journalism fail to grasp the importance
of the story or did they choose to ignore or minimize it? And how, and
why?
· President Bush just set a record in the history of
American polling: fully 50 percent of the American people now “strongly
disapprove” of this president, even more than was the case with Nixon
during Watergate. In earlier times, the mainstream media would make
much more of such a historic development, and would flesh out the story
by going out, for example and actually asking people just what it is
generates their strong disapproval. But of course there’s been no such
coverage. Why is that?
· Just this past week, the number of
Americans who think the nation to be on the right track got down to
just one in five. One would think that such a plunge in a vital sign of
our democracy would be an important piece of news. Shouldn’t the
mainstream media be asking the American people just what track they
think the nation is on and what there is about it they regard as wrong?
Where are they?
“The Dog That Didn’t Bark” is a famous phrase
from a Sherlock Holmes tale, where the silence of a guard dog proved
the essential clue, for it showed that the dog was on friendly terms
with the culprit. Someone with great credibility is needed to find out
if the American media have been quiet for the same reason.
So I
conclude by saying that by uncovering and presenting this story Bill
Moyers would be performing a profound service to the nation!
Writings 
by Andrew Bard Schmookler
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