Richard's Reveries and Rantings: News and politics

Irresponsible Journalism: Sacrificing Integrity to Make a Quick Buck

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 08:25:22 GMT

I still remember my days at Berkeley, when I was first exposed to the idea that there is really no such thing as objective journalism. My English professor said something to the effect of: Every story you read, every news report you hear on the radio, and every newscast on T.V. is biased. Bias comes from either from the reporter's perspective/interpretation of the facts, the influence the funding sources have on the news organization, or the the need to attract an audience (since in the news world, eyeballs equal dollars).

As a freshman, I just assumed news was news... the facts... with very little subjectivity. Over the years, I've learned to be a bit more critical about the news I consume, and have become more thoughtful in my consumption, as opposed to remaining a passive sponge, influenced by the sound bites and sensational headlines around me.

The Virginia Tech tragedy, and specifically the profiles and portraits that have been done about Seung Hui Cho, have illustrated just how quick the press is to "whore itself out" to make a quick buck. The sensationalism and irresponsible journalism that have been exhibited by much of mainstream media is embarassing. NBC's decision to air the package that Seung-Hui Cho sent them in between the first and second killing sprees is not what I'm referring to. However, NBC's decision to stamp every single photo and video with an NBC logo to make sure everyone knew that NBC was the "go to" network chosen by Cho is just blatantly obnoxious. What's worse is how they ended Tuesday's newscast which first aired these horrific images with a teaser for their morning show on Wednesday, claiming that they would provide even more "exclusive images" on the Today show and encouraged viewers to tune in.

Here is a more subtle example of the sensationalism that has hijacked the journalistic integrity of many news organizations who reported on this tragedy. This morning I happened to stumble upon two separate articles online, one in the New York Times and one in Newsweek, about Seung Hui Cho. The New York Times article is called, "Before Deadly Rage, a Life Consumed by a Troubling Silence" by N. R. KLEINFIELD. The Newsweek coverstory article is called, "Making of a Massacre. Quiet and disturbed, Cho Seung-Hui seethed, then exploded. His odyssey" by Evan Thomas, and is highlighted as a "Special Report." This is the lead article from this week's Newsweek, with the cover titled "The Mind of a Killer" with gunshot holes all over the cover. Can you guess which article was peppered with "catchy headlines" and dramatic "attention grabbers" in order to sell, sell, SELL more magazines?

Here are few snippets from Evan Thomas's NEWSWEEK article. Keep in mind, both the NY Times and the NEWSWEEK articles aim to provide some insights into Cho's motivation for committing this heinous tragedy. NEWSWEEK just does it in a very juvenile and irresponsible manner.

Excerpts from Thomas's Newsweek article, "Making of a Massacre.":

"It takes a while to adjust to getting shot at, certainly if you are a 20-year-old sophomore biology major sitting in German class." This is just embarassingly poor writing. But Evan Thomas chooses to start his story with with this overly dramatic setnence.
"Cho Seung-Hui had a life and a story, but he seemed determined not to share it with anyone, except in dark dreams and then in a final spasm of killing." Are you kidding me? This tragedy was about a series of tragically missed opportunities to save a severely depressed child, not about his determination to share his life and story in a final spasm of killing.
"Until Cho came along, the record holder for campus carnage was Charles Whitman, who in 1966 climbed to the top of the University of Texas Tower in Austin and murdered 16 people and wounded 31 others with a hunting rifle." Its disgusting how the words "record holder for campus carnage" roll off Thomas's tongue. Is this really about breaking records?
"Somehow, somewhere, someone planted an evil seed in Cho—if not the Devil himself, then conceivably some stranger or relative. Any private harm done was deeply exacerbated by the feelings of alienation and humiliation a Korean boy can feel caught in the desperate race for academic success." There are just too many violations of intelligence to call out from this passage. But Thomas's allusion that someone planted an evil seed in Cho is extremely simple minded and cowardly.
"Interested in writing moody and sometimes violent plays and poetry, Cho doesn't appear to have been the dutiful son." The passage from #4 hinted of a racist tone, as does this last passage.
"He reportedly began bulking up at the gym, and shaved his head military style. Actually, he rode the stationary bike "like a 70-year-old woman," says Koch." Yes, up until about 10 years ago, shaving one's head was a rare unless one was in the military. These days, shaving one's head usually has absolutely nothing to do with the military... unless that is, a journalist can make his article a bit more dramatic by painting a image of a trained killer. And can someone explain the relevance of the stationary bike comment to this story?
"It's not clear why Cho picked Emily Hilscher as his first victim.... But Hilscher was a very pretty girl with bright blue eyes..." Yeah, I'm sure her "bright blue eyes" had something to do with it. Is Thomas trying to stir up race-based tensions?

I encourage you to read both the New York Times article and the NEWSWEEK article and compare how each journalist treats this subject. From the headlines to the commentary, Evan Thomas trades his journalistic integrity for good ol' fashioned dramatization. In other words, I read the Kleinfield's article in the NY Times for a thoughtful perspective into Cho's isolation and mental anguish. Read Thomas's article purely for its entertainment value.

Why do this bother me so much? Because I'm guessing that 90% of America simply sits back and watches prime time news without ever stopping to think about the manipulation and sensationalism that is being served to them under the guise of journalism. Middle America will read this NEWSWEEK article and think, "Wow, that Cho kid was one crazy #$%&ing nutcase," and shirk the accountability that society should claim for this tragedy.

It will be truly shameful if we do not truly heal from this massacre. And I believe that this healing process must involve some painful self reflection. We should ask ourselves questions like:

How could we let his child become so hopeless that he felt his killing spree was the only salvation for himself and others who feel isolated from the world?
How could we ignore Cho's desperate pleas for help through his writings and behavior due to our shallow understanding of mental illness and unwillingness to make the extra effort to help a strange boy in need?
How could we allow our paranoia of litigation to get in the way of informing this child's parents that he was in a very urgent and dangerous state? And intervening when it was clear he was pleading for someone to save him?
How could we let this mentally disturbed child walk into a federally licensed gun store with an ID and credit card, and walk out with a 9mm semi-automatic Glock 19?... 1 year after a VA court declared him "an imminent danger to self or others as a result of mental illness." (also note, he purchased another gun online and picked it up at a pawnshop just off campus... total time spent inside the store?... 15 minutes).
Why is it okay for John McCain (R), on the heels of this tragedy, to say that the shootings would not alter his views on the Second Amendment. "Obviously," McCain told reporters, "We have to keep guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens."
How could we make celebrities out of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold from the Columbine shootings, to then inspire others who feel isolated and victimized by the world? How can we do AGAIN with Cho?

Lets not be misguided by the press. Lets not avoid asking ourselves these questions since its the easy way out. I hope once the media feeding frenzy ends, there will be thoughtful pieces written about "The Mind of the Collective American People... How we have failed to make this world safe for our children."

Backlash against Koreans and Asians

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:11:11 GMT

I checked my blog traffic today and noticed that a lot of traffic has come from Google blog search queries on words such as korean+backlash, due to my previous post, The Immigrant Burden. When I click on the referring link from much of the traffic, I see hundreds of listings calling attention to the backlash against Koreans and Asians that has already begun around the US in response to the Virginia Tech massacre.

Here is one of several articles that highlights the growing racial tension that may unfortunately unfold due to this horrible tragedy. Not only have Korean American students at Virginia Tech fled the campus in droves, but blogs, irresponsible journalism, and hate speech have already populated the web and mainstream media. Unfortunately, some leaders in the Korean community are adding fuel to the fire by encouraging Koreans to apologize for this tragedy. The following is a quote from a pastor of a Korean church in Los Angles:

The Rev. Dong Sun Lim, pastor of the Oriental Mission Church in Koreatown, had a memorial service Tuesday afternoon that drew about 80 people and said a message of condolence from South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun wasn't enough. "All Koreans in South Korea -- as well as here -- must bow their heads and apologize to the people of America," Lim told the Times. "Yesterday was the most shameful and tragic day in the 100-year history of Korean immigration to the United States. All we can do is pray."

Yes, this is a shameful and tragic day for the Korean-American community... it's shameful and tragic for the ENTIRE WORLD! Unfortunately, this pastor, and other Korean leaders instructing the community to apologize, are perpetuating the idea that this tragedy is a racial issue. Lets be clear, Cho Seung-Hui was a very disturbed child. If you haven't noticed, his writings, behavior, isolation, social anxiety, and reticence are all signs of severe depression and psychosis. This tragedy is about a child, who for reasons unknown, felt so angry, lost, and vengeful that he decided his life and the lives of at least 33 other children were not worth living. This tragedy is also about our failure as a society to take care of our children. The fact that this child was Korean is secondary to his mental illness, isolation, and society's failure to help him.

The world seeks closure on this tragedy. And I can understand how a natural extension of the grieving process involves placing blame. Since Cho Seung-Hui killed himself, people are looking for a way to channel their pain, anger, and confusion. And its easier to direct these emotions to a person, or to a group of people, than it is to oneself. What makes it worse is that because traditional Koreans, especially as minorities in the US, feel a sense of a collective identity, many feel that this massacre was at the hands of a distant family member. The combination of these two trends is a recipe for disaster. Its like a witchhunt in which an innocent group of women apologize for having broomsticks and black cats.

I truly hope that we as a nation do not take the easy way out. And erroneously place the culpability of this tragedy on Korean-Americans, as opposed to recognizing that we as a society, must learn and grow from this. Columbine was a wake up call that an epidemic of isolation and explosive violence is growing among our children. Virginia Tech was confirmation of that. Lets not wait for a third tragedy to truly learn from this.

One of the most touching reports from yesterday's news coverage was the vigil attended by over 10,000 students and faculty at Virginia Tech:

Citing the Biblical Job and his struggle to understand suffering, Gov. Timothy Kaine told the crowd that violence-weary people around the world are watching Blacksburg. "As you wrestle with despair, do not lose hold of that spirit of community you have," he said, asking mourners to help the victims' families and react in a way that will benefit people watching. "The world needs you to."

The service ended on an upbeat tone, as professor and poet Nikki Giovanni stirred her listeners' spirits with a poem. "We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on. We are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech. We are strong enough to stand tall fearlessly, we are brave enough to bend and cry, and sad enough to know we must laugh again," Giovanni told the audience.

"We will prevail! We will prevail! We will prevail! We are Virginia Tech!" Giovanni said, to thunderous applause.

At the football stadium, her words inspired a standing ovation. Students cheered and clapped, then started a football chant. Fists rose into the air. In time, the chant sounded in both the basketball arena and the stadium: "Let's go, Hokies! Let's go!"

If those who were directly affected by this horrific event are channeling their energy in constructive and support ways, the Korean community should embrace this, rather than feeling that our community should shoulder the blame.

Let's hope the world takes a queue from our children for once, and not lead them astray, but support their mourning in this national tragedy.

The immigrant burden

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 04:05:03 GMT

Its Tuesday, 6:30AM PST, and I am driving down to San Jose for a series of analyst meetings for work. I'm listening to the press conference out of Blacksburg Virginia about the Virginia Tech shootings yesterday and my heart skips a beat when I hear someone say, "Cho was a senior…"

Could the shooter really be Korean? For reasons I am still trying to comprehend, the first thoughts in my head were, "Please, don't let this guy be Korean." Then, at the conclusion of the broadcast, the radio announcer recapped the new learnings from the press conference, confirming my fears. "The shooter has been identified as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a senior at Virginia Tech, who was a South Korean national studying in the U.S." Immediately, my heart dropped. I felt a barrage of mixed emotions, ranging from shock, to fear, to guilt, to sadness. Within a few minutes, I also learned that Cho was originally from Centreville, VA where my immediate family resides.

Upon hearing the news, my first reaction was to call my sister. My niece currently attends school in Centreville and my fear was that the breaking news would cause a knee-jerk backlash against the Korean population at her school and in her area. (Centreville, VA has a very large population of recent Korean immigrants and as a result, there have been signs of growing racial tensions in the community. Also, growing up not too far away from Centreville, I quickly learned to deal with racial slurs on a regular basis). As soon as my sister picked up the phone, I knew that she had also heard the news. Her voice was tense and fearful.

I encouraged her to have a talk with her daughter, as well as her younger son who attends elementary school in Centreville. "Its important that they don't personally feel responsible and apologize for what happened. Just because the shooter was Korean, doesn't mean that your kids should feel they've done anything wrong. They are Korean-Americans. And while they share in the sadness and shock, they should not apologize, just because they too are Korean."

Even in speaking with my mother, it was clear that she also felt a deep sense of fear and confusion. In her broken English, she said, "I'm afraid to go to the store and see my customers. Should I say I'm sorry?" I also told her that she personally had no reason to apologize. "Yes, the shooter happened to be a Korean national, but what does that have to do with us? What are you apologizing for?" I asked. "Its okay to express your sadness and disbelief about the shooting, but the last thing you want to do is apologize for something you had absolutely nothing to do with. That would make this tragedy appear to be, in some ways, your fault."

Its somewhat natural that Koreans feel a sense of collective responsibility for this. Unlike the individualism that is the focus of many western cultures, many Asian cultures emphasize group identity. As an example, I personally feel that I am a direct reflection of my family, and in some ways, a reflection of other Koreans. However, apologizing because a fellow Korean-American was responsible for the shootings places an unnecessary focus on the ethnicity of the gunman, as opposed to the root causes for this tragedy.

We, as Americans,have failed miserably. We have failed to provide an environment for our children that is safe; we have failed to provide support and resources for our children to seek help and guidance in times of need; and by providing our children with easy access to firearms, we have failed to protect them from themselves, thus making shooting sprees such as the one in Virginia Tech as simple as pulling a trigger.

My fear is that many people will have a knee jerk reaction to this tragedy and immediately seek culpability as a way to find closure for this horrific experience. And since the shooter killed himself, there is no target for the media and general population to direct their emotions of disbelief, anger, grief, etc.

I am struggling to understand why I personally feel so many conflicting emotions in learning that Cho Seung-Hui was Korean. When African Americans learned that John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo were responsible for the Beltway sniper shootings, did they also feel the same sense of guilt, fear and disbelief that I do? In the wake of the 9-11 attacks, did Muslim-Americans feel similar emotions? I tend to think that some, if not many, from each community did. And clearly, in the latter instance, many Americans felt that Middle-Easterners in the US bore some level of responsibility for 9/11 simply because some shared the same religious and ethnic background of the perpetrators (as exemplified by the surge of hate crimes against the Muslim community in the wake of 9/11).

But what about when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold carried out a similar massacre at Columbine HS. Did Caucasians around the world also feel the same sense of guilt, fear, and disbelief that I do. Did the general population look to Caucasians and feel anger and hostility that I fear some Americans may feel today against Koreans?

I guess this burden, this immigrant burden, is one that I did not sign up for, but one that I believe I carry. It’s the same reason why I am reluctant to leave a small tip in a fancy restaurant, even if the service is noticeably bad, because I fear that the waiter will attribute that to my being cheap because I am Asian as opposed to his/her bad service.

As soon as I heard that the Virginia Tech shooter was Korean, I called my sister so that her children do not feel the same immigrant burden that I feel, even though I was born in the US. I really hope society will recognize that this tragedy had more to do with Cho's mental state, isolationl, emotional instability, lack of guidance and support, and other deeply rooted causes at the individual level, than it did with the fact that he happened to be Korean. I guess we'll find out soon and I am hopeful that we as a nation can grieve peacefully.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, as well as the families and friends left behind by this tragedy.

Progressive clothing for open minds

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 05:44:08 GMT

I was at the Cherry Blossom Festival in SF Japantown this past weekend and came across a very cool clothing company called Black Lava from Los Angeles, CA. It started out as a surfing company 20 years ago but has recentlly morphed into a clothing company. Black Lava fills the niche of politically aware, asian american fashion. I was happy to see an Asian American run company take on the role of driving awareness about issues that are typically swept under the rug.

If you decide to buy a shirt, go up one size. They're a bit thin and will shrink. Here are some of my favorites:

Unions are what's wrong with this country

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 09:00:28 GMT

GM announced today that it is offering buyouts up to $140K to all 126K autoworkers in an effort to encourage employees to retire early so that the company can avoid bankruptcy. And believe it or not, employees are scoffing at this offer.

When was the last time you were offered a severance package that was even 10% of that! I remember in 1999, people were getting laid off with 2 weeks pay... and they considered themselves lucky!

The UAW is wrong in so many ways but here just a few:

1. The average employee at GM is 50 years old. Thats right 50. Clearly GM is burdened with this work force because the UAW makes it nearly impossible to fire employees.

2. GM will be surpassed as the #1 auto manufacturer by Toyota within the next two years. GM lost $10B last year... Toyota was extremely profitable. Yet the UAW is as relentless as ever in its negotiations.

3. The UAW has created Job Banks for auto employees who are no longer needed, but get paid NOT TO WORK. I read an article about this earlier this month in the WSJ but here is quick summary:

This is the "Jobs Bank," a two-decade-old program under which nearly 15,000 auto workers continue to get paid after their companies stop needing them. To earn wages and benefits that often top $100,000 a year, the workers must perform some company-approved activity. Many do volunteer jobs or go back to school. The rest must clock time in the rubber room or something like it.

It is called the rubber room, Mellon said, because "a few days in there makes you go crazy."...

Each person costs GM around $100,000 to $130,000 in wages and benefits, according to internal union and company figures, meaning GM's total cost this year is likely to be around $750 million to $900 million....

Every day for a week Mr. Mellon got up at about 4:30 a.m. to make the 45-minute commute to the rubber room from his home in Otisville, Mich. At first he read the newspaper or magazines lying around, such as Reader's Digest. He talked some with acquaintances. After conversation dried up, he said he spent hours staring at the wall, hoping time would move faster. One day he asked a supervisor if he could bring in a cot. The supervisor said no, so he pushed together four padded chairs and slept across them for several hours. He had stayed up late the night before, anticipating this nap.

The waiting "makes you want to bang your head against the wall," Mellon said. "I couldn't take it. I need to be doing something. And there is a supervisor who walks around staring at everyone. It's worse than high-school detention."

Thats not a bad deal if you ask me... maybe I should have gone into the auto industry.