alternative hippopotamus

progressive cyberdadaism from our nation’s capital

December 6, 2006

The Truth

by AltHippo @ 5:46 pm. Filed under Uncategorized

I recently ran across this interview with Mark Danner (bio) on TomDispatch.com. It’s remarkable for a couple of reasons. For one, the way it cuts to the core of the Bushies, and the axis of fear that keeps the cabal in business.

It’s also remarkable for the way Danner describes his relationship with the truth:

It’s a difficult time for those of us who care about the truth and who don’t believe, as I think this administration does, that the truth is actually determined by what those in power think. I take comfort from the fact that a lot of people don’t believe that.

There are two borderline dangers here. One is to go off into a state of political debility in which you think that none of this matters. To hell with politics, let’s try to live our lives. And that’s a very natural response, to kind of bow out of political engagement, but I think that would be very wrong and very harmful. The other risk is to equal the administration in their exaggerations and their distortions, in their stunning lack of fidelity to what is happening. To exaggerate, to overstate, to alter the truth in the cause of a political goal — this, I think, is very tempting… very tempting. When you see Fox News existing as it does, you want something of the same on the other side. But I don’t think that’s my job and I’m glad it’s not the job of a lot of writers and journalists out there.

You asked a little while ago what reporters should do in a time like this. I think it’s immensely important that people continue, with great determination, to report what is true, to investigate things like the NSA story, to make a record of all of this. Because, at the end of the day, that is what reporters do, and that is why their work is so valuable — so, if you’ll forgive this word, sacred.

More: Open Source, a radio show hosted by Chris Lydon (creator of WBUR’s “The Connection”) interviews Mark Danner.

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One Response to “The Truth”

  1. lOKI Says:
    December 8th, 2006 at 9:50 am

    Reality what does that mean? W dismissed the “Baker-Hamilton Commission” and the 2006 elections.

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