10 United States senators have introduced a bill that would enable the government to lock up American citizens for life without any trial, or even any criminal charges, and what has the reaction been? Almost nothing at all.
John McCain‘s Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act is a radical attack against the free trial guarantees of the Bill of Rights, yet only four professional journalists bothered to publish articles specifically describing legislation. At the same time, about 170 blogs have published article about the bill. That’s an inadequate degree of scrutiny from the blogosphere, but it’s far and away superior to the scant attention that’s come from anemic the journalistic establishment.
Activity at Open Congress indicates that when people are made aware of McCain’s bill, they are overwhelmingly opposed to it. On that site, the bill has earned a rating of only one vote of support, with 82 votes of opposition.
The weak public reaction to this profoundly dangerous bill exposes the threat created as profit-driven corporations have hollowed out our nation’s journalistic institutions. Without many serious reporters remaining on the job, it’s up to independent voices to pick up the slack.
