Despite an evolving industry, journalistic integrity should be timeless.

By J. Basil Dannebohm

An opinion column entitled, “Fun-loving Commies spend big to sponsor ‘No Kings’” was recently brought to my attention. The author of the piece was not entirely unknown to me. He was once on my media list in his capacity as a newspaper editor. Every few weeks, he would send me an email that read: "LOL! Nice try, dude. MAGA!"

The fact that a middle-aged stranger referred to me as "dude" and used "LOL" in a professional capacity told me all that I needed to know about him. I never indulged his provocations with a reply.

Among the highlights of his column was the inference that protesters against the Trump administration are paid communist agents, a McCarthy-esque claim that has been repeatedly debunked.

"New revelations about the pointless, but earnestly repetitive, “No Kings” protests last weekend and their documented Commie ties are proving that for Democrats and other Leftist Trump haters – Communism is cool,” the author writes. “After all, paid protesters are expensive: all those cucumber sandwiches; signs and posters; Vote Mamdani tattoos."

Bizarre cucumber sandwich reference aside, the individual neglected to cite any sources for the alleged “new revelations” he inferred in his opinion piece.

He did, however, ensure that his lengthy biography accompanying the piece emphasized the fact that the he is the publisher of a small newspaper, “a graduate of the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico,” the author of novels, the recipient of a community service award and “more than 60 awards for excellence in news, editorial and photography.”

All of that is little more than fluff aimed at gaslighting the reader into believing the author should be taken seriously on the subject.

Using one’s curriculum vitae to deliberately deceive an audience is the ultimate form of depravity. When a journalist hops down the rabbit hole of conspiracy, they lose credibility. Whether that hole descends to the left or to the right is irrelevant.

One can boast ad nauseum about all their journalistic accolades, military service, and community involvement, but the individual’s ethics and journalistic integrity – or lack thereof – are on display when they pen a piece containing blatant misinformation and worn-out Q-Anon propaganda.

Editors often suggest that they opt to publish such pieces as a means by which to offer audiences a perspective from both sides of an issue.

That's bullshit.

Most newspapers require readers to satisfy their advertisers and they realize that controversial writing will score an audience.

It’s not the first time I’ve read an opinion piece riddled with nonsense. A few months ago, I read one stating that Joe Biden has been dead for many years and that a man named Oscar, who wore a “plasma mask” was hired to masquerade as the former president.

The difference between that piece and the one about paid protesters is that the former was written by a reader who is very clearly out to lunch. The latter was written by a man who makes it a point to call himself a journalist.

While traditional media is an evolving industry, traditional journalism should be timeless. A journalist, even when penning an opinion piece, ought to hold accuracy in high regard.

Unfortunately, the lion’s share of today’s journalists no longer abide by time-honored media standards, much less a code of ethics. This is precisely why the precious few Americans who still opt for information in the written form often turn to independent news platforms. There was a time when so-called “citizen journalism” was considered taboo. Now, it’s one of the last safeguards against a typhoon of bias and misinformation.

The journalist in question got what he wanted -- a reaction.

But that doesn't make it ethical.

In her book, “Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America,” author Barb McQuade writes, “Disinformation is the deliberate use of lies to manipulate people, whether to extract profit or to advance a political agenda.”

It seems the opinion piece in question aimed to do both.

McQuade continues.

“Its unwitting accomplice, misinformation, is spread by unknowing dupes who repeat the lies they believe to be true.”

A lot of “unknowing dupes” are manipulated by dangerous rhetoric when newspapers publish what's referred to as "yellow journalism," written by seasoned professionals.

Jon Stewart observed, "The thing about a moral compass is you take it out and check it from time to time. You don't have to wait for history to show you you're headed in the wrong direction.”

The media industry is headed in the wrong direction when comedians have higher ethical standards than journalists.

History will remember.