At this time I feel compelled to EXPRESS MY PERSONAL OPINION about what I PERCEIVE TO BE the incredible shunning of personal and professional responsibility by people in the media, as well as other privileged members of our society, and their disregard for the responsibilities that come with the great privileges bestowed upon them by the American people via the Constitution of the United States of America — in this case, the First Amendment.

What was once a set of principles and guidelines based upon and constructed from a moral ethic, has now become a hollow form of “legalistic ethics” derived from and based upon “legal” rules and regulations, where precedence is used to find loop holes in morality, so that we can justify our irresponsible behavior. Many seem to have forgotten that every right and privilege granted to us by our common acceptance and belief in our constitution requires that we exercise these rights and privileges with a sense of honor, integrity, and commitment.

The basic premise that I believe in is this — you have the privilege (right) to do whatever you want to do, as long as your actions do not infringe upon another’s privilege (right) to do the same. It is everyone’s responsibility to be equally diligent, regardless of their station in life.

In premise, no one citizen of the United States of America is any less important than another. At the same time, with the greater ability to influence comes a greater responsibility to ensure that your actions do not infringe upon the privilege of others.

The higher your social station in life and the greater your influence that comes with that station, the more responsible you must be. If your actions cause harm to another, whether it be intentional or not, you are in some way responsible.

The story with Oprah is a reasonable example. You cannot tell me that Oprah is oblivious to the influence she has on the American public. To the contrary, she depends upon that influence to make the obscene amount of money that she makes. Therefore, to say that she should be allowed to say whatever she wants without fear of retribution is ridiculous. Having said that, I will not pass judgement in the case concerning Mad Cow Disease, because I personally do not have all of the facts (only those supplied by a less-than-discriminating media). However, if harm was done because of her actions, then she should be in some way held responsible for those actions — ignorance is not a defense.

Many members of the press are also exceptionally negligent. They herald the “right to free speech” provided to all by the First Amendment, but often seem to shun the proportionate responsibility that comes with the greater and greater ability to inform and influence the masses. The recent gross misinformation feeding frenzy concerning presidential infidelities and ethical breeches is a perfect, but far from only example of irresponsibility.

In my opinion the actions of many members of the media are no longer driven by truth, but by money and prestige. It sickens me to see people exonerated or convicted of crimes before the “facts” are ever heard in a courtroom. It equally disheartens me to see others exploited, lambasted, and abused by a media machine hell bent on sensationalism. The unfortunate fact is that the press has publicized an incredible amount of false information during all major events in recent history, all in what I perceive to be the pursuit of prestige and glory.

They then justify and defend their actions with rationalization. This load of crap about “It’s easy to slip up and make mistakes … We’re trying very hard to anchor what we put in the paper on our own reporting, but it’s a difficult standard. We’re all swimming in the same mucky sea.” (NY Times executive editor – Joseph Lelyveld) is a cop out and a shunning of responsibility by the media.

Likewise, Ted Koppel made a statement in the same vein placing the responsibility for the accuracy of the news on the shoulders of the viewer — it’s up to us to know whether the media is telling the truth, even though we are depending upon them for the facts on which to base a judgment!

What makes this even more destructive is the fact that there ARE good moral and ethical journalists out there that must endure the burdens of this environment.

The solution, in my opinion, is simple: If you can’t prove it — don’t print it. If you have an opinion — be very careful to ensure that your opinion is not mistaken for fact.

Well there now, I’ve enjoyed my “freedom of speech,” and am extremely thankful for the privilege of being allowed to express my opinion. I am sure that I’ll hear from others who either agree or disagree with what I have said. Hopefully, some of those who read this will get something of use from my opinion, whether it be a renewed sense of patriotism and responsibility, a different way of looking at things, or another reason to believe that all some people want to do is “take everyone’s ‘God given rights'” away and push this country back into the dark ages of ignorance.

Feel “free” to think whatever you want and intelligently express your opinion. I’ve dedicated over sixteen years of my life defending your privilege to do so — as ironic as it sometimes seems to me.

Scott Jeemans is a graduate student in Aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics.