The captain sponsored a ship wide celebration on the old sailing vessel, for the voyage had gone well. The first mate participated heavily and was more than a little hung over the next day. Still, he stood up to the aftermath and fulfilled his duties in exemplary fashion. So he was stung when he found that the straight laced captain had noted in the ship's log:
The first mate was drunk today.

He respectfully asked for an explanation and was told in harsh terms all too typical of this particular ship's master that the log must contain a complete account. There would be no revision. That evening, the captain found in the log a completely accurate entry by the first mate:
The captain was sober today.

News organizations have developed a 4 year cycled tradition of introspection and self reproach for a lack of responsible political reporting. In cases where one side is speaking the truth and the other side is not, he-said-she-said accounts are easier and less risky than consistent context. Fairness, it seems, does not demand a full accounting of the facts of the case. Only approximate equivalence, as measured by column inches, is needed.

This applies beyond politics. The recent worker sit-in in Chicago is a case in point. Legally meaningful promises apparently were made to employees and then broken as workers were laid off with 3 days notice and no severance. Even sympathetic broadcasting reporters told of the plight of workers and how they were demanding "what they feel they are owed." Feel?

There apparently are circumstances in which federally mandated guarantees are waived. Did those circumstances apply? The company did not go bankrupt. Does that not suggest a continuing legal obligation?

Bank of America withdrew financing. What sort of financing was it? Banks had been deservedly criticized for loaning money irresponsibly. The company planned to close the plant in the future. Were they a bad risk? Or was it routine bridge financing based on accounts receivable? That is about the safest unsecured business loan imaginable. Bank of America's reported statement that they were not responsible for their client's financial obligations left most of us a little cold.

The crisis seems past now. The workers are still out of a job, but the bank loaned enough for the company to meet its obligations. I suspect the plight of the workers was more outrageous than is generally known. But who knows? The lack of responsible reporting means that the questions remain. We are told how workers felt. We just aren't told the truth.

All that news reports have provided is an unexplained log entry.
The captain was sober today.

Your Turn.