Watching the 60 Minutes fiasco, and noting once again what Patterico points out: that the 60 Minutes trademark is hammering down one point of view to the exclusion of all else, I'm reminded of a Babylon 5 episode called The Illusion of Truth.
In that episode, the rebels of Babylon 5 are visited by the dictator's pretend news agency, who promise to let them tell their side of the story to "the people back home". Unsurprisingly, the resulting news piece -- quite clearly patterened after 60 Minutes -- is a one-sided hatchet job with all kinds of dishonest cuts and splices that portray Babylon 5's commander as a madman who wants to destroy humanity. The anchor's line at the end of the piece is classic:
"Our job," Randall concludes, "is to report the news. Not to make it, or guide it. But from this reporter's perspective, the situation on Babylon 5 is deteriorating quickly, and must be dealt with. The quarantine order will help prevent more humans from falling prey to this genetics program, but it's only a short-term solution. As for Sheridan, he does not deserve our scorn, our anger, or our contempt. He is a war veteran, and that should at least earn him our sympathy. We here at ISN hope he receives the best care possible so he can someday come back to us. This is Dan Randall at ISN. Goodnight."Fade to black. Posted by Kevin Murphy at September 21, 2004 10:25 PM | TrackBack