President Clinton Under Attack: Very Deplorable Media Conduct!

Since the news broke that President Clinton allegedly had an affair with former White House intern, Monica Lewinsky the media ran with the story. Sadly, many ridiculous and unsubstantiated information permeated the media and the public was led astray. This was like the OJ. Simpson's trial when the case was preliminary tried in the media and the verdict handed down prior to the verdict in a court of law. The public's heart was broken when the court verdict was different from the media's prediction. Is it the job of the media to try President Clinton in the court of public opinion? Who turned journalists to attorneys at law?

Can't please the media

Initially, the media wanted him to respond to the allegation. When he commented about the incident in a lukewarm way, there was complaint his choice of words were not convincing -- his mouth was shaped funny, his eyes were not sharp enough, his hair looked crazy, etc. On Monday January 26, a day before The State of Union Address, President Clinton angrily came out and told the nation he did not have sex with Monica Lewinsky. Subsequently, the media referred to the President as a "combating Clinton." The media was still not satisfied, they claimed that the President should tell them the whole story. Evidently many of the brains of these reporters went to sleep including that of those in the national network news. President Clinton is facing a civil litigation about sexual harassment from Paula Jones and the media want him to tell them the entire story about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky? Evidently some reporters don't understand the Miranda Act --- "You have the right to remain silence and anything you say may be used against you in the court of law ....."

Media and sexual voyeurism

Media is not interested in facts as much as they are interested in sexual voyeurism of the President. The intelligent President refused to narrate stories about his sex life and the reporters were disappointed. If he had answered personal questions about his sex life, will the media know where to stop? Probably not! Crips! Crips! Crips! Even if there is no litigation, it is very improper for the President to discuss any of his intimate relationship with anybody. Perhaps the media wants to know what the President is doing in the bedroom and probably what he is doing with his wife. Is President Clinton's sex life the business of the public or the media? Absolutely not!

This mad behavior of the media is very destructive to society and doesn't help our children especially when we are throwing around words like "oral sex," "orgasm," "dress stain with semen," "penis," etc on the national news. How low can these mad dogs go?

Media may be misleading the public

The main media may never regain credibility because of the tabloid styles of news presentation especially in this issue of the President alleged extramarital affairs. When President Clinton angrily denied the allegation a day before the State of Union Address, that should suffice for reputable and professional journalists. The subsequent behavior is to pull back from gossips and accept the President's position until evidence prove the contrary. Instead of doing this, the media embark on printing unsubstantiated information as facts, and some have to be withdrawn -- what a shame. Furthermore, the media confused the public between moral issues and legal affairs. Many people who were against the President were reacting emotionally from the moral point of view without understanding legal grounds involved when a crime is committed.

During the time of Iran Contragate, there might have been possible obstruction of justice, perjury, lying involving the then President Reagan, Vice President Bush and even Oliver North. Some people involved received slap in the hands, even though law was broken, but nobody was shouting resignation or impeachment, not even the media. The Congress which was then dominated by the Democrats didn't want to go through another Watergate, thanks goodness. Evidently, the same media discriminated against President Clinton. The gravity of President Clinton's alleged offense is nothing compared to Iran Contragate which broke the law. Was President Reagan ever prosecuted or investigated for possible perjury?

The Congress must come to rescue!

If America's democracy is to survive, the Congress must immediately put an end to Kenneth Starr's investigation, and the political in-fighting must stop. This investigation has gone far enough and may be gradually destroying America's democracy. If the Congress refuse to do this, and President Clinton is politically assassinated by the panties, all of them from now will have to face the same abuse as they are subjecting President Clinton to bear. Their sex lives will be brought under scrutiny, and is this good for America?

International response to America's sex scandal

Many people across the world are asking the question, "Why are people so interested in President Clinton's sex life, what has this got to do with his work?" Many felt sad and said, "Of all the serious issues across the world why are Americans fixated on their President's penis." Some developing countries believed that the present conduct of the American media is a legitimate argument to censor the media because a fragile democracy may not be strong enough to withstand this type of unnecessary scandal against a sitting President.

One of the most interesting comments from a foreign female called Amina said, "Only in America can a woman have sex with a married man-in-power, attain giant notoriety, becomes a celebrity and be awarded a badge of honor by the news media, instead of covering her face in shame."

Political Implications of Clinton's Attack

An admirable Senator Bob Dole once said during his presidential campaign in 1996 that, "President Clinton is my political opponent and not my enemy." Perhaps many other Republicans have not learned from the wisdom of Senator Bob Dole's statement. According to a young Republican, who sympathizes with President Clinton, "What we could not achieve on a battle ground of ideologies, we want to attain through political assassination of the President." The attacks on this President have been continuous from his first term in office and his political enemies would just not leave him alone not to talk of the provocative radio talk show hosts. Eventually, these attackers will lose their abilities to impact the public the same way the main media has lost credibility.

The lawmakers are those that will pay a high price for the media abuse of the President. The same ridiculous media will soon go after every member of the Congress and probe into their personal sex lives.

The whole incident with President Clinton's alleged affair with Monica Lewinsky is like a political assassination by character assassination through the power between the panties. By making the personal and intimate incidents of the President to be political issues, we have succeeded in reducing the great history of American democracy to the trivia of pussy-politics.

Editorial By 'Yinka Vidal

OUTCRY Magazine, Lara Publications, St. Louis, MO

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