“The Lead” Should Fulfill Its Title and Lead

To: Jake Tapper and other CNN anchors,

Throughout the Government Shutdown you and as far as I can tell every other CNN anchor has presented the current stalemate as an intractable partisan problem that can’t be solved without a ‘compromise’, or someone giving-in, or one side retreating on their position. The politicians, spokespersons and commentators that you discuss the issue with provide basically that same view. The two partisan extremes insist that they are willing to move forward on their terms, but can’t find a path that is acceptable to their counterparts on the opposite side.

But your assessment isn’t true. The analyses of your panelists are limited to the ‘conventional wisdom’ of how things operate in the inept, ineffective and irrational political modes that we have become accustom to from Congress, the Administration, and the Political Parties. Accepting that these are the only available or required approaches to dealing with a dispute is not just naïve but irresponsible.

Where is your due diligence in seeking solutions that can get both Democrats and Republicans to get on board with? You can’t seriously think that with just a little intellect that someone could provide a solution that would open the Government and deal with the National Security needs. You should be challenging your experts, your panelists, the Senators and Representatives that you interview, the spokespersons for whatever group is seeking your viewers’ attention for 5 minutes, and anyone from the Administration that is demanding their requirements for these issues to explain why they haven’t presented a solution that is a Win-Win for everyone. There is a simple path forward. It will accommodate everyone’s needs and requirements. It would be a Win-Win, the best kind of all deals that can be made.

Why isn’t this the focus of your reporting on the Shutdown, on Border Security, on the banality of political leadership across all branches of government? If you can’t challenge those who speak on your show and use CNN’s air-time to strive for their own objectives and benefits would you believe you are doing your best as a journalist, as a conduit to provide the American public with the best information that they should receive?

You may host “The Lead”, but in your professional domain are you fulfilling your responsibility to lead in the news media? Is CNN? Is anyone? We may not have capable, competent, and conscientious political leaders, but isn’t that all the more reason that we need more effective and informative journalism?

“The Lead” is very much in need of raising the standard to which all news media entities ought to strive. Waiting for someone else to step forward and lead is unworthy of the American tradition of a free press.