Editorial: The Decay of the Iron Core: How media sources in the 21st century have fallen far, and how they might climb back up

The Decay of the Iron Core: How media sources in the 21^st century have fallen far, and how they might climb back up

            by Zachary Chin

November 28th, 2011

            Accurate, relevant news in the United States is slowly disappearing, and it seems almost impossible to stop. The news the country is losing is not the tabloid journalism you might see in magazines in the grocery line or the partisan advocacy that you would catch on the O’Reilly Factor or Bill Maher, but what Alex Jones* calls “The Iron Core” of uncompromising, unbiased journalism. Employees in the newsroom often work tirelessly to check facts, follow up on political events, and explain the nature of things like Obamacare or the SOPA bill, only to be largely eclipsed by the sports section, classifieds, or paper sponsorships.

Over time, people have become satisfied with watching their local news on the television, which often chronicles events like a local fire or a missing child. As compelling or interesting as these stories may be, they are not a part of “The Iron Core” because they do not change or allow the viewer to consider his/her view of the world. Over the years, what more and more people consider news is falling under this category of events that may be important, but are not necessarily relevant to the national or global spheres. National news on the television often presents stories that are part of the iron core, but the length of time and follow-up for the headline is usually shockingly sparse in comparison to the opinionated information viewers will take from it instead. While many would be wise enough to not consider the following sources to be news, a huge portion of the nation has replaced their absorption of true, traditional journalism with entertaining segments by Rush Limbaugh or Chris Matthews. While the depictions of the events these men use to prove their point may be correct, the fact that they use news to advocate for a certain person or party forces the news to take a backseat to political views.

Newspapers are the  remaining traditional media source, and they have been slowly dying since the other sources have been born. While they fill their front pages mostly with iron core news and certainly have more of it than the other media sources, budget cuts by chief editors and publishers have hindered the papers’ ability to dispense important information. Yet, the budget cuts are necessary, for people are buying fewer newspapers every year. Print media that costs even a miniscule amount of money would lose customers because those that buy the paper for tools like the classifieds can now visit websites like craigslist or ebay to find exactly what they want faster, and probably for cheaper. Additionally, it is far easier to watch or listen to the news, whether local or national, than it is to deal with the hassle of a newspaper. What scares those involved in bolstering the iron core is that even if newspapers were the predominant source of media in the modern age, only a fraction of the newspaper is actually a part of the iron core. The Independent Chronicle explored the contents of an issue from The New York Times, The LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, and The Boston Globe to discover how much of the newspaper could be considered accurate and relevant. The New York Times, The LA Times, and The Chicago Tribune had an average iron core percentage of 20%. The Boston Globe boasted a slightly higher number at 32%. It is frightening to imagine when this dying source of media that contains what Alex Jones estimates to be around 95% of iron core news falls even further to the hands of economic disadvantage.
            What remains is the power of new media sources and the desire to print real, significant news. The Huffington Post and The Daily Beast function a lot like today’s newspapers with a front page, business, and sports section, but unlike the dangers of economic disadvantaged papers, there is no cost to print, and so the editors of the online blog can post whatever they see fit. While the iron core may still twinkle in the 30% range, there is no risk in this number decreasing, for there are only costs to pay journalists and staff writers, but the cost to print is a comforting $0. The online blog style of dispensing information is undoubtedly the future in allowing followers and occasional readers to absorb important information about the country and the world. At The Independent Chronicle, we strive to push forth over 50% iron core journalism, the other parts reserved for an occasional movie review for groundbreaking material or an editorial piece like this one. Regardless of the percentage, it is clear that the elimination of the cost of printing and the quickness afforded by online posting have allowed blogs to emerge as a critical source of media.

The only disadvantage seen thus far is the government’s reaction to such power and widespread influence that an online blog can possess. Consider Wikileaks, an online source of articles about corporate and government secrets. This sort of exposing of secrets in the world of journalism is considered the highest, most revered form of iron core news: investigative reporting. James Callender exposed Thomas Jefferson’s hypocritical affair with his mullato slave Sally Hemmings, and Robert McNamara released the Pentagon Papers, both showing important information to the public about their leaders’ actions. The release of the Pentagon Papers, for instance, radically changed how people viewed the Vietnam War, and its mass publication allowed the country to consider the dangers of engaging in full-scale ideological warfare.

Yet, it is horrifying to see how our society in this age has branded Julian Asange, the leader of Wikileaks as a traitor and enemy of the state. Citizens who have absorbed countless stories about a stubborn cat stuck in a tree on their local news station have to consider where their interest really lies. Do we want to be educated in global politics and learn what the world’s governments and largest corporations are doing behind our backs? Or will we choose to shrug off investigative reporting and crush the iron core news that already seems to dwindle?

*Alex Jones is the Director of Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times.

Article: IMF negotiating new bailout package for Greece

IMF negotiating bailout package for Greece

            by Zachary Chin

September 28th, 2011

            Finance ministers at the International Monetary Fund are once again working to devise a plan to aid Greece in repaying its debts. Like other countries that are considered “developed”, many viewed Greece as a nation that could handle a deficit because similarly to countries such as The United States and Canada, the government was able to borrow money very cheaply, often making it more lucrative to run a deficit.

            Yet, markets and media sources exploded over a year ago, exposing Greece’s possible inability to repay its debts. The lack of confidence, asserts contributors to the blogosphere, caused additional damage because other nations no longer felt comfortable lending money to a nation they could not necessarily trust to repay their debt.

Above is a chart representing the probability that the labeled
country will be unable to repay its debt up to last year. Greece not
only claims the highest percentage, but also the sharpest hike.

            Officials at the International Monetary Fund and the European Union want Greece to be able to use an allotted amount of money to heal the suffering debt crisis, but also expect that reforms will be implemented in order to succeed in arising out of the economic downturn they face today. Poul Thomsen, the IMF mission chief to Greece, asserts that serious reforms will have to be made in order for the bailout to function.

            Many popular Vloggers and bloggers alike see the solution as much more difficult than the Greek government employing traditional methods of gaining revenue. Youtube member “Vlogbrothers” asserts that Greece should implement public projects to boost employment and productivity, giving foreign countries the confidence to lend money once again.

            Others like John Sfakianakis, chief economist at Banque Saudi Fransi, sees Greece’s current solution as completely destructive. The government felt that one certain way of raising revenue was to raise taxes on individuals, bringing more money into the hands of the government. Yet, the strategy has yielded tremendous outrage, and the effects can be observed in enormous suffering in the retail business as well as declining strength of cultural staples like the marketplace.
            If another bailout is to be given, the IMF and European Union want to be sure that the government will be employing a more nuance strategy than what Sfakianakis called a “destructive tax policy” that will only hurt Greece’s goal of becoming an economically stable nation once again. 

Article: Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition, Palin criticized for polarizing political move

Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition, Palin criticized for polarizing political move
          by Zachary Chin

January 12th, 2011

     Arizona representative Gabrielle Giffords suffered a shot to the head on January 8th, when an assailant targeting the representative killed 6 and wounded 13 outside a grocery store. Doctors are optimistic about Giffords’ condition, but the same cannot be said for one of Giffords’ staffers, a federal judge, and four others murdered by the shooter identified as Jared L. Loughner.
     Critics like Kathy Henn and opinionated blogs attacked the Tea Party and Sarah Palin for their “targeting” of various democrats across the nation. One of Palin’s pamphlets included a map with a spot that resembles crosshairs over Arizona with Gifford’s name indicated on the bottom, illustrating Palin’s desire for Republicans to overtake the political pendulum and stop the healthcare bill.

Palin's advertisement features spots that look like crosshairs
over Arizona and lists Giffords four from the top on the left column.

     Kathy Henn continued by claiming that the polarizing political move used by Palin breeds hate and lack of understanding between people of various political parties, and the crime committed by Loughner illustrates the need for that kind of propaganda to end. Henn expressed her frustration about Palin’s advertisement and what she believed to be the former Alaskan governor’s feigned sympathy by saying “shame on you [Palin]”.
     Giffords was sworn in to office on January 3rd, 2007 as a congresswoman. She is known for her support of a stronger boarder between the United States and Mexico, her support of renewable energy, and her willingness to increase the minimum wage. She is a self-proclaimed “Blue Dog”, and is viewed as a moderate democrat by many of her colleagues.
     Comment contributors on CNN’s online article on the story expressed their deepest wishes for her health, but also a lot of confusion about why Giffords was the target of one of Palin’s ads. As a moderate, Palin and Gifford share similar views on strengthening the borders of the United States as well as increased funding for the military, as Giffords voted for the Iraq Emergency Supplemental Spending bill in May of 2007. With such critical issues like these that the two political figures agree on, it seems odd to bloggers and comment contributors that Palin would direct her attention towards Giffords.
     The shooting was confirmed as an attack on Giffords, and is suspected to reflect the state of political tension between Giffords and her constituents. Whether or not Palin’s ad ever reached Loughner is unknown, but critics claim even if the influence was not direct, the general contribution by Palin to the country’s large-scale polarization of parties is very dangerous and should be recognized as a misdeed.