Struggling in handcuffs to get out of the backseat, I was accosted by microphones stuck in my face and news reporters barking out at me, “Are you guilty of this crime, Mr. Gallagher?” What could I say? “No”? as if they cared. So…I said nothing.

The media and the police had a field day with my false accusation and the perp walk I did on my way to my bail hearing. Of course, it lead off the evening news and in later days didn’t the newspapers have stories not only of my teaching career but of those in the past who were actually guilty of sexual molestation.

Yes, the media drove this accusation and, in a way, tried me in the court of public opinion just as it did Father MacRae, Michael Jackson, et al. My accuser’s face nor her name was never shown until she was found to be lying. So much for fairness in the media.

Even in the Catholic press, our local Standard and Times reports any time a priest has been accused (just accused) and lists his name, what parish he is in and what parishes he was in. Then, to top it off, they have a sidebar, always, urging anyone who thinks they have been abused by the clergy to call a listed number. They won’t fight…just pay off and put the priest away in some rehab center – guilty or not.

The new “American Dream” isn’t to work hard and get ahead, it’s to win the lottery or a lawsuit (which is more of a sure thing than the lottery.) The immorality of “we the people” has led to this injustice and we are the only ones who can reverse the trend.

Pray for us, Father, as we pray for you.
Kathy Maxwell

Why So Many Minds Think Alike
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/15/social.conformity.brain/index.html

I don’t think you’re exaggerating even a tiny bit, Mary. In the interests of profit alone, media has forsaken its public trust to report according to its own code of ethics. Had it followed its own code, Michael Jackson and Father Gordon would not have been exploited. Remember, generally there can be no extortion without the complicity of media.

Father Gordon would not have been pressured to protect the Church, for without the threat of condemnation by media, there would have been no packs of snarling media jackals from which to protect the Church. In my opinion, the media is directly responsible for Father Gordon’s plight and Jackson’s death. Indeed, media (literally) tortured Jackson to death.

It’s for this reason–celebrities and non-celebrities victimized by the press–that Michael Jackson’s advocates are forming a non-profit organization called The Humane Media Initiative. We intend to draw attention to groupthink in media, the bullying nature of tabloid and mainstream media, and the human toll media’s lack of ethics takes on society.

We discuss Jackson and the media here => http://www.mjtruthnow.com

Many things need to change about the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate. I don’t believe the Founding Fathers intended the media to be judge and jury of those who seek protection under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, yet essentially that is what media is today.

Another excellent and enlightening post. I don’t think Mary is exaggerating. I too did not know exactly what to make of the whole Michael Jackson case.

I just tend to think his story is a tragic one on many levels. So is any priest being convicted of a crime simply because he is a priest. (which often seems to be the case) Too many cases seem to be tried in the media before they ever reach a court room in which case the jury has already made its decision.

Glad to see your blog mentioned in Catalyst recently.
God Bless and continued prayer.

I prayed for him and his children. It is not easy to be that famous especially for the children. The media seems to have changed in my lifetime from reporting facts to creating “facts” and woe betide anyone they take a dislike to! I am probably exaggerating a teeny bit !