PLACING THE SPOTLIGHT ON INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

The excellent movie Spotlight brings back the past on several different levels.  First, the movie delivers an old fashioned plot presented straight up with no fancy cinematic devises.  Second, it follows the decades old story of the Boston Globe newspaper exposing the cover up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church throughout the greater Boston area.  Lastly, Spotlight, is a stunning example of the importance of investigative journalism in a democratic society.

          The movie derives its title from a small unit in the Boston Globe’s news division that is given the time and resources to deep dive important topics that cannot be vetted by the regular journalists.  It was not uncommon for the Spotlight crew to take over a year to put an expose together before going to press.  Some of the over eager young journalists would beg to release a story.  The older editors knew it was prudent to wait and gather all the background so that the quarry could not escape the net.

The acting in Spotlight is superb.  Many critics think it will be nominated for best picture at this year’s Academy Awards.  As I watched, it occurred to me how rare investigative journalism is in today’s 24/7 news world.

On the internet and cable news, we are fed the shallow headlines, over and over, until the details are fixed in our memory banks like the ever present drug commercials.  To demonstrate our knowledge beyond the news bites, we read countless commentary and opinion articles, usually the pieces that support our political and social views.  Conspiracy theories abound with  few facts to support them. Even the reporters on 60 Minutes now seem to have multiple journalistic responsibilities, subtracting from this pioneering show’s past pedigree of substance.

Somehow there must be a place in modern journalism for slow and careful door knocking, interviews with reluctant witnesses and the tedious inspection of old and dusty written records, all by reporters with no agenda other than to expose the truth.  Faster news is not necessarily more responsible news.  Uncovering institutional corruption takes time and patience.

Spotlight may encourage some young journalists to seek out investigative reporting as a career. The real challenge is to convince news organizations to invest in a type of product that does not provide instant gratification to the public or an immediate financial payback for the corporate bottom line.

COMPASSION OVER FEAR

An enthusiastic thumbs up to Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto and Pennsylvania Governor Wolf for announcing that the act of terrorism in Paris would not dissuade them from resettling Syrian refugees within the Commonwealth.  This decision to favor compassion over fear is at odds with most Republican Governors and legislators, who are raising potential roadblocks similar to their ill advised call for travel restrictions during the Ebola crisis in 2014.

Thankfully those calling for a refugee ban have little control over federal immigration policy. The President has made clear that Syrian immigrants will be processed and resettled in accordance with previously announce quotas.

The Syrian refugee crisis is the greatest immigration challenge to Europe since WWII with 7 million displace by the civil war.  For the United States to not do its part, in light of our actions in causing the problem in the first place, would be a failure of leadership.

Immigration challenges over our history have always included vigorous dissenters.  The Irish were papist spys, the Italians were anarchist bombers and the East Europeans were communists.  Our security and vetting procedures are the best in the world.  Let us ignore the doubters and continue to do the right thing.

THE DRUG PROBLEM

          This newspaper and many other media sources most often view the drug problem from the user’s prospective.  The focus is on drug related crime and young addicts overdosing or trying to get clean.  Don Winslow has written two powerful books: THE POWER OF THE DOG and CARTEL which expose the drug problem from the supply prospective.  While both books are fiction, they are fact based and review the historical background of the war on drugs over the last twenty years.

          What Winslow makes clear is that as Mexican drug cartels are defeated and large shipment confiscated, an unimpeded flow of marijuana, amphetamines and heroin continue to flow north to the States and an estimated 15 to 20 billion dollars annually flow south to Mexico.  As one kingpin gets knocked down, another takes his place.  The Mexican government, often with DEA acquiescence, supports the least objectionable of the cartels.

 There is simply too much money involved, providing payoffs to law enforcement, judges and elected officials to do otherwise.  Those who take the moral high ground and refuse the bribe are threatened with death. The most successful Mexican political families rise on the back of the drug trade as the Kennedy family rose on the back of prohibition.

          The supply will always be there to meet the demand, no matter what interdiction strategies are implemented by the United States.  Our efforts have wasted millions and guaranteed that Mexico remains a war zone with thousands of innocent casualties. 

Only two policies can possibly break the back of the drug trade. First, state sponsored decriminalization and regulation of the sale of all illegal drugs.  The November 7 issue of the Economist editorializes that: “If governments really want to limit the harm from drugs-saving addicts lives, crushing dealers profits and slashing the number of people who take them in the first place- then they must seize control of the markets themselves.”

 The Second policy is to convince Americans that there are healthy alternatives to recreational drug use.  Unfortunately, both approaches are pipe dreams and show little promise of altering the supply or demand of illegal drugs.