To judge from what passes for journalism these days, you would almost think that no one even knows what an issue is anymore.
An "issue," for those who need explaining, is something that matters -- something that affects significant numbers of people, and something that society should deal with through policy measures. If you get hit by a car because someone failed to put up a stop sign, there's an issue at stake involving public safety. If you die in a freak event, on the other hand -- say a falling meteor -- it's a personal tragedy, but there is no issue at stake requiring public discussion and debate.
In recent years, however, the media has abdicated its duty to cover issues. Instead, newspapers, magazines and especially the TV news offer an endless stream of freakish stories that titillate and sell advertising copy but don't really matter: from presidential blowjobs to killer nannies, cross-dressing sportscasters, and who wore what at the Academy Awards.
Here are some of the things that don't get covered, or at best receive brief mentions: global warming, food safety, toxins in the environment, and the joint failure of Republicans and Democrats alike to seriously consider campaign finance reform.
Even when stories appear that do raise issues, the media focuses on sensationalism and pointless details.
When boys in Arkansas haul a cache of guns to school and kill a bunch of girls, reporters focus on the funerals or debate appropriate punishments for the young killers. Almost no one talks about the fact that this was deliberate male-against-female violence, or for that matter explores the issue of how we might prevent similar tragedies by limiting access to guns.
When Oprah Winfrey goes on trial for talking about mad cow disease, reporters tell you what she wears to court, what guests are appearing on her show, and how well she is holding up in the ratings wars against Jerry Springer. But just try to find a story that actually looks into the issues surrounding mad cow disease itself.
With government deals underway to reach a "comprehensive settlement" with the cigarette industry, ask yourself how many stories have appeared analyzing the terms of the settlement, which anti-smoking activists have described as a bailout that will enable the tobacco industry to resolve its legal liabilities in the U.S. while it aggressively expands its market overseas.
After analyzing coverage of the tobacco settlement, Ahron Leichtman of Citizens for a Tobacco-Free Society concluded that "The only real question worthy of exploration these days is, 'Where did they hide the bodies after they shot all the journalists who used to do the work of reporting on the issues to the American people?' "
If you ask journalists why they are doing such a lousy job, they will often reply that they are just giving the public what it wants. Issues, they say, are dull and lack entertainment value. They don't sell papers.
As this issue of PR Watch demonstrates, however, somebody is interested in issues. Corporate America is in fact preoccupied with "issue management" -- the art of controlling the spin on issues before they even reach the attention of the American people.
Issue management aims not only to control the debate but to keep the debate from ever occurring -- and corporate issue managers know and fear the fact that people indeed love to participate in debates over issues that matter.
Sadly, the current state of journalism in the United States rarely affords people that opportunity -- a fact that offers considerable comfort to the likes of the National Rifle Association, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the Philip Morris company and their professional spin doctors and issue managers.
In fact, every important public issue suffers under the one issue the media never covers, even superficially: the quickening demise of journalism and its expropriation by the PR industry.
