Columnist Ruthe Deskin: TV’s spin often skirts the issues

Ruthe Deskin

Thursday, Nov. 14, 2002 | 8:14 a.m.

Newcomers to the Las Vegas scene could learn a lot from a gang of old-time media folks and their friends who meet once a month at the Plaza.

It's all about friendship and reminiscing.

Recently I was seated by former TV newsman Hank Thornley and we recalled his days as one of the town's premier newscasters.

We addressed the question, "Whatever happened to news reporting on television?"

Today viewers are being treated like small children. Every news story that breaks eventually ends with has-beens or eager young pundits telling us what the news means. As if we can't decide for ourselves.

The TV and cable stations drag out the "experts." Newt Gingrich, Alexander Haig, Henry Kissinger, retired military personnel, crusty old newsmen and former FBI profilers to name a few.

As to the latter -- FBI profilers -- I felt a sense of satisfaction when it was revealed they were way off base in the recent sniper case. The profilers had police looking for a white male, possibly with an accomplice. They were wrong about the suspects' race, as we now know.

The most recent prognosticating and prophesying is being done as a result of the Republican sweep of the election and the return of the GOP to power in the U.S. Senate.

Add that to the constant hawk-vs.-dove approach to Iraq. Iraq's president Saddam Hussein must go, the pros tell us. The antis argue against sending our young men and women into another conflict.

The Bush administration seems intent on armed intervention. The Pentagon issues almost daily bulletins about plans to invade Iraq. The prevailing thought makes it sound much too simple -- seizing the country quickly and encircling Baghdad would be a walk in the park, or a military disaster.

I would hope serious thought is being given to the aftermath of a military takeover to depose Saddam and the need for American dollars to shore up a broken economy and restore order. Our experiences in Afghanistan should be a warning.

War itself is a dreadful possibility.

Last Sunday MSNBC aired a documentary that totally destroyed any idea that there is glory in battle.

The basis of the program was the search by Dr. Bob Ballard (he located the Titanic) for the sunken U.S. carrier Yorktown and four Japanese carriers believed to be resting on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. All met watery graves during the battle for Midway Island.

On board the search ship were two Americans and two Japanese, all of whom saw action in the devastating air and sea fights.

Throughout the program, actual scenes of planes blasted from the air, torpedos tearing into carriers and ground attacks were shown -- all of them authentic.

It is difficult to see these images and think about modern warfare.

The irony of war was obvious to the four pilots -- Japanese and American -- who became good friends during the search.

As one stated, "How can civilized nations do this to each other?"

The answer came from the former Japanese pilot. "I guess because we are not truly civilized."

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