SOMETIMES journalists feel like that indestructible kiddie toy -- the inflatable smiling face with the weighted bottom that is used as a punching bag. Since it's hard to walk by it without swinging, it seems to bring out the worst in people. Press draws wrath
of politicos, publicHawaii's Republicans will see it, come up and say, "Why isn't your newspaper giving major play to our alternative ideas for improving the economy?," before giving the bag a good swift kick. It bounces up and down, until finally coming to a rest in an upright position.
Then local Democrats will spot the easy target and ask, "Why aren't you helping us sell this Economic Revitalization Task Force package to voters?," before whacking the bag and stomping away.
It hurts the most, though, when readers and viewers give the press a bop on the noggin. This is happening frequently these days because the state is having some money problems, and there's hell to pay for the community's frustration.
Some folks (especially politicians) think the media are going out of their way to call attention to Hawaii's recessionary woes. It's allegedly a vicious, self-fulfilling prophesy: the more newspapers and TV newscasts point out examples of Hawaii's weak economy (a restaurant closing here, a massive layoff there), the limper the economy gets.
Some pundits even surmise that fewer and fewer people are interested in reading the daily newspaper or in watching TV news, because it's too depressing to learn about firings, closings and bankruptcies.
They all have a suggestion: Why don't we downplay the negative tidings? Why not attempt to cheer up gloomy consumers, instead?
Please, have mercy. Anything but that.
Go ahead and make us the scapegoats in these dark times, if you like, but don't ask working journalists to be the PR people for the powers-that-be. It's hard enough trying to perform the role of messenger without being asked to formulate the message, too.
Furthermore, kindly refrain from giving us any "credit" for the predicament we're in.
Are journalists so omnipotent and revered that our influence can destroy an economy? Last time we looked, we were jockeying for the cellar of the national respect ratings with lawyers and used-car salesmen.
Does anyone truly want us to conceal the fact that Liberty House has filed for bankruptcy protection, or that Queen's Hospital or Duty Free Shoppers has pink-slipped hundreds of workers? Certainly, the employees, creditors and customers of these organizations are fascinated and certainly affected by such revelations.
Should editors and news directors start gazing into crystal balls and predicting the ramifications of a story? And, if that impact is foreseen to be "negative," should they try to stifle or soften the coverage? Now that is true arrogance, and shows a lack of respect for the intelligence of the public.
WELL-INFORMED residents and tourists want to know what's happening in Hawaii, the nation and the world. They want to be informed, not humored. If they crave bona fide non-stressful written data, they'd pick up a sports magazine, a free publication on the street or the latest guide on health and fashion.
May I be so presumptuous as to offer the same suggestion on behalf of broadcast journalists? If you want happy talk and silly features, then turn to the situation comedies.
Sitcoms and comics are fantasy; newscasts and newspapers offer reality. And let's face it, reality bites.
Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
DianeChang@aol.com, or by fax at 523-7863.