“John Burns' "There is Corruption in Our Business," is a brilliant, important contribution to American journalism at a critical point in the history of our country ... and our craft. A salute to him for writing it, and to you for publishing it.
It is my hope that this outstanding piece of work will reach the widest possible distribution and readership.”
Dan Rather CBS News, New York
Referring to an interview published in
Editor & Publisher online recently.

In a flash of honesty, CBS Anchorman Dan Rather, a Liberal, recently praised New York Times reporter John F. Burns for his brutally frank appraisal of the Baghdad press corps as related in his book Embedded: The Media at War in Iraq (The Lyons Press). In that recently published book, Burns details the hazards of reporting from a totalitarian country. He condemns the reporters and foreign correspondents who ignored how "Saddam had turned this country into a slaughterhouse." Burns writes about how they ‘sucked up' to the Iraqi minister of information, wining and dining him, "plying him with mobile phones at $600 each for members of his family, and giving bribes of thousands of dollars…behaved(ing) as if they were in Belgium. They never mentioned the function of minders. Never mentioned terror."

Further, Burns wrote that reporters turned over copies of their stories to show how friendly they were to the Hussein regime. "In the run-up to this war, to my mind,” he wrote, “there was a gross abdication of responsibility." Further he writes, “This war could have been justified any time on the basis of human rights alone. This was a grotesque charnel house, and also a genuine threat to us. We had the power to end it and we did end it."

What is so astonishing about this book, and Burns' interview with Editor & Publisher online, is that it has aroused favorable responses from a reputed member of the Liberal elite media. But more than that, the book and the enormously positive responses to it, demonstrate that Burns has hit the mark with the American people. E&P states that its Web site has been flooded with emails. Examples: “Burns' article on the corruption in reporting from Iraq was simply stunning.” “Thank God that there is one journalist who has the guts to tell the truth. I had given up hope.”

The facts found in Burns' book underscore the extent of the dishonesty in the media. They also demonstrate the importance and necessity of newspaper readers and TV audiences to check the facts. We must carefully judge the ‘messenger' of the facts in every piece of information we digest today. To do so, unfortunately, has become our obligation since most of the media has abdicated that responsibility. If we let this kind of corruption, with regard to reporting the facts, continue, we allow the dishonest to rewrite history through thought control and propaganda.

It is not difficult to tell the truth. It is not impossible to see facts objectively. It is not unfeasible to cover the news without allowing one's own prejudices and partisanship to seep into and obfuscate reality. How do you check the facts in published and broadcast materials? You must be honest and of singular purpose. You must be unwilling to compromise your ethical convictions. Philosophically, one must hold the absolute that facts do exist. Even when facts are ignored, they remain facts, no matter how vast and scurrilous the Big Lie.

Biased journalism is dishonest. It may conveniently serve an immediate purpose for those who have an ax to grind, but in the end it is the same as the disinformation perpetrated by any totalitarian state. One has to understand, and hold dear, the principles of truth, honesty and integrity. Those who are blatantly biased, on any side of the political spectrum, do not.

Read these reports from the Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee who returned from a recent tour of Iraq with a message that reiterates the theme of Burns' book. “The establishment media is presenting a biased and unnecessarily negative portrayal of the military and political progress in the newly freed Middle East nation,” Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.) wrote in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . He explains that “…he decided to make the trip because of "bleak" news media reports that "contrast sharply with reports of hope and progress" from the Defense Department. He is a man searching for the truth!

What Marshall found surprised him. "I'm afraid the news media are hurting our chances. They are dwelling upon the mistakes, the ambushes, the soldiers killed, the wounded…," Marshall wrote. "The falsely bleak picture weakens our national resolve, discourages Iraqi cooperation and emboldens our enemy," he added. Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), the ranking minority member of the committee, said at a press conference that the establishment media is dwelling on the negative news to the exclusion of the positive. "The media stresses the wounds, the injuries and the deaths, as they should," Skelton said. "But, for instance, in Northern Iraq , General [David] Petraeus has 3,100 projects, from soccer fields to schools to refineries. It's all the good stuff that isn't being reported."

John Burns' book has impacted journalism with such force that no reporter, writer, or commentator, anywhere in the world can ignore its truth and importance. There is corruption in the media. That is a fact! Corruption and dishonesty are deeply embedded and must be routed out. That is a matter of principle. We must acknowledge this perfidy of bias because if we don't, we will allow the enemy to take our minds, our thoughts, and our purpose in life away from us. And, in the end this, more than the threat of weapon of mass destruction, is the most profound kind of terrorism.

Sara Pentz is a professional journalist living in Corona del Mar. She has been a TV reporter/anchor, and has written for local, regional and national magazines and newspapers.