What Would Edward R. Murrow Do?

Now I don't know if anybody important reads these little columns of mine. But I do know a lot of you have Twitter accounts. And maybe... MAYBE some of you are followed by people with contacts in the media.  Or maybe you ARE in the media.  That would be GRAND!

Maybe I could suggest retweeting this to everyone you know in the media.  Wouldn't that be GRAND?

And wouldn't it be GRAND if EVERYONE IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA learned to ask questions like this?  It's not that hard!  I was a mere newspaper/radio reporter, and I could do it!  Any reporter more concerned with getting the FACTS instead of maintaining ACCESS to the big party in the BELTWAY can do it.

We need a new meme here. We need the media to start asking a simple question.

Here. I'll show you what I mean.

Let's pretend I'm Edward R. Murrow and I'm alive and it's Sept. 19, 2011. What would Murrow ask?

You'll like this.  It's called "journalism."

MURROW: Congressman Ryan, you have declared that President Obama's suggestion that the mega wealthy pay the same percentage of their income in taxes as their middle class employees is "class warfare." Can you explain?

RYAN: Certainly, Edward. And you're looking pretty good for a guy who's been dead for decades.

MURROW: Save the ass kissing for Blitzer, and answer my question please.

RYAN: All righty. It's class warfare because it's a blatant attempt to rile up the lower and middle class by appealing to their envy of people who have more money than they do. The President and the Democrats in Congress are engaging in class warfare because they're pitting one class of American against another class of American. And by doing so, they're trying to keep the "job creators" from creating jobs. Now, if we eliminate the burden of unnecessary regulation and lower the tax burden on the job creators...

MURROW: I didn't ask you about that. I asked you to define what you mean by class warfare.

RYAN: I thought my answer was clear.

MURROW: That it was, sir. Now, since you have declared the president's suggestion that the mega rich pay taxes at the same rate as those in the middle class as "class warfare," which side are you on?

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Article Author: Bill Schmalfeldt

There are a lot of people who don't care all that much for this writer. He pokes fun at everything... especially right-wing meatheads who want to run the government to enrich themselves at the expense of others. …

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class warfare, eds-pick, Edward R. Murrow, journalism, questions,

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