What, the Kettle is Black?!

Governments all over the world complain about the news media reporting nothing but bad new. This is not even a “pot calling a kettle black” situation; it is a faked surprise at the kettle being black. The new media of course report bad news, like the fire alarm reports fire. We all hope that when there is a fire, we hear the annoying noise of the alarm. Sometimes, though, when we step away from the stove and burn the pancake on the grill, we take it out on the crying alarm. We may even take a bat and smash it to bits. A wonderful way to reward something that just saved our lives. It is understandable, viewed from our own experience with the fire alarm, that governments would want to take it out on their alarm—the news media. It would be ridiculous for us to agree with them, however. It would be like saying to the foolish cook, “yeah, it is all the alarm’s fault that the pancake is burnt.”