MEDIA (CONT)

Seymour Hersch, who broke the My Lai massacre story, summarized The Blade's report in the Nov. 10 New Yorker magazine. He noted how national news organizations have mostly ignored the story. That prompted three reports on ABC News programs, and Aaron Brown has taped a segment to be aired on CNN.

Why such indifference among news organizations? Many factors contribute, including the difficulty of catching up on a story whose key sources are so widely distributed. There may even be a reluctance to appear anti-Army at a time when troops are engaged in street-fighting in Iraq.

But, sadly, the main impediment is one of professional status. The Blade is not published in Manhattan, Washington, Chicago or Los Angeles. It is not part of a mega-media empire such as Tribune Co., which owns Newsday, or Gannett or Knight-Ridder. And it has not yet earned the halo of regional respectability the profession has awarded papers in Seattle and San Jose and St. Petersburg. That could begin to change when the Pulitzer board meets next spring.

Until then, you may want to inform yourself by reading the series - and reassert your independence from the journalism elite's neglect.

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