Day: May 10, 2002

Government and the press: partners in crime

/ Kevin B. O'Reilly

Or so says the Mises Institute‘s William L. Anderson in a provocative essay, “The Press and the State.” Writing of his days as a working journalist in Tennessee:

In a word, government was our lifeline, and while there was somewhat (but only somewhat) of an adversarial relationship between news reporters and government officials, as I look back, I see that government and the press were and are mutually dependent upon each other.

Thus, it is in the interest of the press not only for government to be big and intrusive, but also for it to grow. For all of the vaunted talk of the press being the “watchdog” of government, if anything, the modern news media is government’s lapdog, and the implications for a free society are enormous.

I don’t think it is quite as clear-cut as that, but Anderson is definitely on to something. He also discusses the antipathy journalists in his day had toward the business beat. I think that has clearly changed, as the Enron story alone shows. There’s a lot more interest in quality coverage of the economy and of business trends, between the skyrocketing rate of stock-market participation, the tech boom and bust, Microsoft trial and more.

But another aspect of covering government that is very attractive to journalists is that it’s a lot easier. As difficult as accessing government records can sometimes be, accessing private records is even more difficult. What journalists crave more than anything is information. Without new information, there’s no “news,” by definition. Without “news,” there’s nothing to write about. Journalists need something to scrutinize, and because government is funded through taxpayer dollars, journalists have an excellent claim on any and all information about the doings of government.

What big government does, without fail, is provide news. An endless stream of records are generated, press releases are issued, reports are done, studies are conducted, hearings are held — it goes on forever. If nothing else, huge government makes news. I must admit that as resistant as I was to the idea of a student government at Columbia, the prospect excited the newshound in me. I’m graduating this year, so I won’t get much chance to really cover what the SGA, but it will be a great source of play news for Chronicle writers in years to come.

If government were as small as libertarians believe it should be, what would journalists write about? There would of course still be plenty to cover. It would make journalists’ lives a lot harder, though. And I think that, at a subconscious level, that plays into the average journalist’s bias in favor of government control over individual liberty.

Johnny, get your gun

/ Kevin B. O'Reilly

An pro-gun activist’s plan to give away free guns to sympathetic people in Chicago is a bad idea. Then again, it’s not the first bad idea John Birch has had.

Last year there was the plan to have people carry concealed weapons to the Taste of Chicago, a city festival that draws millions every year to downtown. Then there was the suggestion that folks could get around the state’s no conceal-carry law by carrying their gun unloaded in a special fanny pack.

I have no problem with civil disobedience — it’s a healthy tradition. And certainly, it’s no accident that it’s a felony to own a gun in Chicago and 666 homicides were committed last year in the city. But encouraging people to break gun laws gives those in the middle precisely the wrong impression about legal gun owners. They are, by and large, law-abiding and extremely judicious in exercising their constitutional rights.

Yes, the fight against the gun grabbers is frustrating, but this is not the way to go about fighting it. If Birch really wants to help people protect themselves, he should do so without seeking publicity. In the meantime, making a strong case for concealed carry will eventually make a dent. Certainly, these type of stunts just reinforce the perception among the large majority of people who don’t own guns that gun owners are a little nuts.

Happy birthday, Cato!

/ Kevin B. O'Reilly

You’ve come a long way, baby.

The libertarian Cato Institute turned 25 yesterday, which means that it was born only four days before I was. That never occurred to me before. John Fund wrote a nice little tribute. Here’s a nice column from founder Ed Crane on why Sept. 11 calls for us to refocus government on its first priority — defending our borders — and otherwise retreat.

Crane rightly points out Sept. 11 was a grand failure of government to do the one task which is most important. And yet, the CIA and the Justice Department are now dragging their feet in releasing information that will help us find out how the Al Qaeda terrorists were not stopped before they could commit their “evildoings” on Sept. 11.

In the end, I think Cato has done a great job of being both principled and pragmatic in its approach to advancing the libertarian cause in Washington, D.C. Here’s to 25 more years. I’d love to say that in 25 years much of Cato’s agenda will have been accomplished, but I don’t think it will come even close to that in 250 years.

Encouraging words

/ Kevin B. O'Reilly

Though he went 0-for-4 with a walk in his first major-league game today, Baylor is magnanimous enough to let Bobby Hill play tomorrow. He told the AP’s Nancy Armour:

It’s not one of those trial things. He still probably has to learn how to handle things at this level. He’s really come a long ways in the last two to three weeks as far as his batting average.

Great. It’s not “one of those trial things.” I’m surprised, with that “proven veteran” Delino DeShields on the bench, after all.

Earth to Kenny Anderson

/ Kevin B. O'Reilly

What an ugly, ugly game. The Celtics’ 66-64 win over the Pistons broke by 12 points the previous record for lowest combined points in a playoff game since the introduction of the 24-second shot clock.

And what was Kenny Anderson thinking when he fouled Chuck Atkins behind the three-point arc with 2.8 seconds left in the game? The Celtics were up by four, so even if he had made the shot, the Celtics still would have been ahead. It was an inexplicably dumb play which almost cost the Celtics the game.

Notice on the last play that Pierce reached in and slammed the ball to the ground on the rebound, making it bounce high into the air just long enough that Stackhouse’s three-pointer was still in his hands when the buzzer went off. Smart play, Pierce. It was a terrible game, but the Celtics won. That’s what matters.

Hopefully, Pierce, Walker and company will find their shooting touch on Sunday and go up 3-1. A note: The Celtics still have not lost a playoff game in the Fleet Center. Everyone talked about the ghosts of the Boston Garden. I wonder what kind of spirits inhabit the Fleet Center. The phantasms of corporate naming rights?

Goodbye, Delino!

/ Kevin B. O'Reilly

The Cubs finally got some sense and brought up Bobby Hill. Not only that, he’ll be starting at second base in place of the awful, irredeemably bad Delino DeShields. Bye bye, grease!

Now the only question is how long it will take before Mark Prior is brought up. It’s a tricky question, though. Juan Cruz has pitched well and doesn’t really deserve to lose his spot in the rotation. On the other hand, the guy who really deserves to be pulled from the rotation, Jason Bere, has started his entire career. So what to do with him if Prior takes his place?

The Cubs have played well recently, and winning two out of three from the Cardinals was big. But, again, they need to take advantage against weak teams like the Brewers, which they didn’t do by losing yesterday. Hopefully, Hill will make an immediate impact and the Cubs will take the next three against the Brew Crew.