Trooper-gate Threatens Life as We Know It
My God, they’re coming after us now! Trooper-gate just escalated into national crisis status. Code Orange. Highway Patrol Lt. Ronnie Shirley made an unauthorized check into the background of Tennessean reporter Brad Schrade. Who’s next? Ms. Cheap?
The Tennessean is demanding to know the names of all 182 people on Shirley’s “enemy’s list.” Under the alarming headline “THP potential for chilling free press enormous,” the City Paper joined the calls for a special investigation.
OK, let’s not get carried away. Pith in the Wind is here, as usual, as the voice of reason in a troubled time.
Yes, we need to find out whether Shirley was acting merely out of nosiness or as part of some grand dirty tricks campaign. And yes, the governor probably should order an independent investigation to clear the air. Still, the fact that Shirley checked into a journalist doesn’t add to the importance of this so-called scandal.
As a group, journalists do their fair share of embarrassing things. (I won't go into specifics here but, if you're interested, you can see a lot of it on display every night at Brandon's.) There may even be a few criminal offenses in our backgrounds. So what? Nobody ever said we were perfect.
Let's stop all the whining. This is the way the world works: We write stories that people don't like, then those people try to get back at us. Any reporter who feels intimidated by the snooper trooper ought to find a new line of work.
Comments
Woods is just pissed that he wasn't on the list.
Posted 08/25/2008 at 01:39:55 PMThe way the world works? In Russia, yes. In the United States, there's a Constitution that stands between the state and the press. When the state crosses that line, there should be consequences, even if it happens to reporters from the other (larger) paper.
Last week Woods called being on the list "proof of badassery." When it turns out to be the competition, not so much.
Posted 08/25/2008 at 02:54:24 PMLast week Woods called being on the list "proof of badassery." When it turns out to be the competition, not so much.
No, you got it all wrong. Hats off to Schrade for pissing off the trooper. I just don't think we ought to get all self-important and claim that it means the end of the free press.
Posted 08/25/2008 at 03:12:31 PM