OPINION:
Unless you have been living under a rock or have had your head buried in the sand the past two decades, you are aware that illegal-drug use is pervasive to the point of being an epidemic in this country. A vital part of this problem is the use and promotion of the user lifestyle by celebrities.
The latest in this trend is, of course, former NBA star Lamar Odom, who was discovered comatose over the weekend at a brothel in Las Vegas. Early press reports reveal that he had significant amounts of cocaine in his system. Mr. Odom had recently acknowledged having a drug problem, telling TMZ, “I don’t want drugs to damage my legacy … ” Nevertheless, the mainstream media, specifically CNN, spent literally hours extolling the greatness of and their admiration for Mr. Odom. CNN used its in-house physician, Dr. Drew Pinsky, to further its coverage. How much worse can you get? This “star” was found unconscious in a state-licensed brothel in Las Vegas looped on cocaine, and had already acknowledged his recreational drug use. Yet our media — not just CNN, but virtually all of the networks — paints him as an image to be idolized and imitated. In the recent past the media reacted in the same fashion to the drug deaths of singer Whitney Houston and Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown.
Is this responsible journalism? Is this what we want from our media in America? When a free press behaves so irresponsibly (and consistently), doesn’t it ultimately endanger our freedom of the press?
Please let your feelings be heard by the media. If a large enough number of sensible people scream loudly enough for long enough, they will respond. Advertising dollars drive the media.
JAMES W. ANDERSON
Talladega, Ala.
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