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The result is all to often drug related stories that seek to project law enforcement success, which is entirely proper, even as they are far more revelatory of a troubled social compact exploiting an impotent national drug policy. Every drug interdiction and arrest story relies on, promotes, or seeks to justify juking the stats by way of citing the weight of captured contraband — or its potential street value — as if the government planned to sell their mounting stash to reduce the federal deficit.

Robert Butche

Inside The Beltway

Q: Who wants to read all this government propaganda and endless puffery? Besides, what’s the point of so much ‘official content’ in what has otherwise proven to be an excellent online source of responsible news and information?

Q: Can you explain why it is you so often fail to add analysis, foundation or explanatory materials to so much of what you publish?

Q: Don’t you know you’re only publishing government’s side of things? Is that your idea of what’s relevant, credible and probative?

A: First, let me set the record straight. Nearly all of the official government documents, transcripts and news releases we choose are to some degree propaganda and almost always instruments of puffery. That these documents are flawed is not very important journalistically, for as the questions above make clear, the highly educated, sophisticated and demanding audience we reach understands exactly what they’re getting.

That said, there remains substantial news value, credible information and policy development support in what we choose to publish.

On average, Newsroom Magazine uses about 1.8% of what is proffered by federal government sources, agencies, institutions and officials. Being probative, relevant and credible are rarely the purpose of government documents, statements and press releases. What benefits government, or makes it sound efficient, effective or heroic is the most likely content to be proffered to the press.

Thus drug smuggling, interdiction and street value stories, from a wide range of law enforcement agencies, have the feel of cookie-cutter news releases whose sole purpose is to juke the stats to demonstrate earnest efforts to staunch the flow while avoiding any mention of effectiveness, appropriateness, or cost.

The result is all to often drug related stories that seek to project law enforcement success, which is entirely proper, even as they are far more revelatory of a troubled social compact exploiting an impotent national drug policy. Every drug interdiction and arrest story relies on, promotes, or seeks to justify juking the stats by way of citing the weight of captured contraband — or its potential street value — as if the government planned to sell their mounting stash to reduce the federal deficit.

Conversely, the gang round-up stories we’ve published recently are substantially more revelatory of sophisticated and competent law enfrocement activities that too often go without substantive national press coverage.

For the most part, it’s what’s not said in government reports and announcements that are most telling — as for example the ongoing stream of Ponzi scheme prosecutions by a wide range of departments and agencies. Taken as a whole, the sheer volume and repetitive nature of these stories go far beyond revealing bad guys being caught red-handed.

Only when one is exposed to Ponzi story after Ponzi story is the fuller picture of our shared cultural and civil behavior revealed. And only when one is exposed to an avalanche of drug bust, delivery interdiction, and/or confiscation stories is the reality of a failed drug policy all the more clear.

No matter that some of the individual Ponzi Scheme stories and press releases were mundane, or puffery, or a one-sided view, what becomes clear is the degree to which ordinary Americans believe they are exempt from the constraints of reality, responsibility and accountability. Thus we focus on what matters most.

What’s substantive, what’s revelatory and what’s timely. Sometimes, as for example, the speeches and written testimony of Rose Gottemoeller concerning the substance and history of the New START treaty, or the full transcript of public argument concerning Citizens-United before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The point is that the range of documents, reports, statements, interviews, press conferences and news releases we publish vary substantially in their credibility, probativity and accuracy.

Some of what we publish is evidence of excellence in government and the best of American values and ideals. Most does not, while some, sad to say, reeks of incompetence and bureaucratic puffery.

Our job is to apply responsible news judgment to the subjects and the news value of what is proffered by government to filter out what’s most worthy of being published. The result is there for all to see whether it be evidence of governmental excellence, bumbling, or buffoonery.

Robert Butche
Publisher
Newsroom Magazine