OUR VIEW: Broadcasters need to remember integrity

Careful and accurate reporting is always needed, especially in wartime, because opinions so easily make their way into conversation.

Broadcasters seem to want to add their own spin to war reports. Monday night, CNN superimposed the words “Never Forget” in a bold typeface over a red background.

What kind of message is that? Never forget what? American soldiers? If that is what CNN is trying to say, the news network is acting irresponsibly. Who is dictating the channel’s viewers should never forget?

Journalists are supposed to be impartial to anyone or anything but the truth. Even though CNN’s message is probably appreciated by anyone supporting the war effort – or at very least people who support the soldiers – it is not CNN’s responsibility to say “Never forget.” Nobody was informed the Cable News Network was about to editorialize. The message was presented as news and should not have been presented as such.

People are permitted to buy advertising time for such messages. The argument against that is the cost of such advertising. However, if enough people truly care about asking everyone else not to forget, they can pool their resources and purchase the ad space.

People need to let their purveyors of information know that their job is to disseminate information. From that information, people can make their own decisions about how to think about current issues. That is what the freedom of the press is all about.