With all the warping and outright abuse of the truth taking place in the media today it seems fitting to comment.

My roots are in broadcast journalism in places like Thomaston, Georgia, El Paso, Texas, Jackson, Mississippi, Columbus, Macon and Augusta, Georgia along with the production of Drew Pearson's Washington Merry Go Round for television.

Much has been said of the terrible misdeeds of Newsweek, CBS, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, CNN, etc. Others have spoken more eloquently than I on those.

To start at the beginning, I need to go back more than 50 years when I first started writing copy for my own radio newscasts. First, I need to point out when you write for radio or television you are not constrained to the grammatical and punctuation rules of a print journalist. This is unfortunate, because it causes bad habits which I continue to exhibit.

The first lessons learned were nothing reported was true, even if I knew it to be true, without corroboration, hopefully from at least two reliable and quotable sources. The current practices of using anonymous sources, a highly questionable practice would never fly.

I owe a lot in my early experience to my boss, Shed Carswell, a highly respected newspaper publisher who somehow got involved in radio, probably to avoid outside competition in the news business in West Central Georgia.

The first lesson the boss beat into my thick head was there are NOT two sides to a story. There are ALL sides to a story. A lesson well learned since that is the base root to covering your tail when it comes to liability and truth. Let someone else say it, and get it right. He also taught me about being very careful to attribute even a scintilla of any material I may have gleaned from someone else negating the possibility of even a hint of plagiarism.

I mention these things because they are so basic in journalism. Unfortunately, while still taught and observed by a few journalists imbued in the honorable traditions of the profession, they have faded from the crop of journalists that developed following the Viet Nam era.

Being active in the Georgia Association of Broadcasters I participated in the affairs at the famous School of Journalism at the University of Georgia. One of my memories there was the change in the attitudes of students in Journalism. Private conversations shocked me. Some, no, most students told me they were in Journalism because "they wanted to change the world." When I asked how, I was told in effect, "Whatever it takes." I recall one time thinking to myself, Boy, I wish Shed were here to hear this.

One caveat that held fairly true throughout that era, until Viet Nam, was a strict policy of putting the American serviceman in a fair light. This held true of servicemen in all the wars including the War Between the States. Following Viet Nam there seemed to be a contest developing with journalists as to which could put the worst reflection on our service people. In those days we had veterans organizations that stood up for the image of U. S. service people. They were a most effective lobby. Politicians who contribute to the problem today, feared the patriotic service organizations in those days. They have little to fear today.

Shed always told me not to worry about the issue. "Do it right and you'll have an audience. Mess around with it and you're headed for trouble." I'm not sure whether he meant from the audience or him, or both.

Water seeks its level. The major media in the U.S. is suffering declining figures both in circulation and audience resulting importantly in declining advertising revenues. Bloggers are becoming important factors in news coverage. Cable television news is whipping major broadcast networks in ratings. Newspapers are seeking new paths for revenues.

I think Shedrick would be enraged with the recent events in journalism. His faith in the profession would continue with the belief it's not permanently damaged or destroyed, but that Potato Creek is levelling and maybe, just maybe, this means a new day for journalism.

[Potato Creek flows through Thomaston, Georgia and into the Flint River.]

Jeff Davis is a retired radio-TV journalist living in Gainesville, GA. Active in civic and political affairs, he is past president of the Georgia Jaycees, former vice president of the US and the world Jaycees, former campaign chairman of the Georgia Republican party. He voluntarily serves as chairman of the Georgia Heritage Council. He is a collateral descendant of President Jefferson Davis.

Related Links
It's Not Just Newsweek - Michele Malkin

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Unanswered questions about Newsweek's false story - Marvin Olasky

Busted Flush - National Review Online