Imagine Jenna Bush decided to fight in Iraq. Imagine she was fed up with the White House limelight and wanted to serve her country as an indistinguishable soldier. As a precaution, the nation’s media companies made a pact to conceal the report. They agreed on a date upon which the story would break and all media would benefit from the shocker. This situation is unlikely, considering that in this age of blogospheres and YouTube fanatics, celeb news like this rarely goes unnoticed. (Not to mention, I doubt Jenna is yearning to strap on her combat boots.)
Yet, this is exactly what happened in the United Kingdom. Two and a half months ago, Prince Harry left to fight in Afghanistan. He later told the British Broadcasting Corporation that he loved escaping his royal lifestyle. “I haven’t really had a shower for four days… I think this is about as normal as I’m going to get,” he said. For the sake of this refreshing anonymity, as well as for his protection, Harry’s identity was kept under tight wraps. The military didn’t want him to be a target because it would endanger his fellow soldiers.
The British media bigwigs came up with a plan to place an embargo on the story. An international media pool, including the BBC and the Press Association, knew where Harry was and agreed to hide the information. Then, on the day when Harry was to return home, the stories would run, and the newsmakers would triumph. “We all felt… that if they sent Prince Harry in, but under a cloak of secrecy, we would all be in on it, we would all know and we would benefit eventually,” Michael Evans, defence editor for the Times of London, said in a National Public Radio interview. Their plan was foiled when a U.S. Web site called the Drudge Report ousted Harry, who was sent home since it was too dangerous to stay.
It’s too bad Harry’s attempt at patriotic normalcy was reduced to 10 weeks, but it is comforting to see that self-made journalists are keeping tabs on the government. Modern media often gets criticized because anyone can call their publications “news,” whether or not there are hard facts. Self-made journalists can write passionate blogs and post ridiculous YouTube videos. No one is censoring or fact checking them, and this can lead to shaky journalism.
This may be true in some cases, but self-made journalists are also making the truth more prominent than ever. Stories that were once hidden are now caught on cell phone cameras, so the media cannot make schemes like Operation Hidden Harry. The Drudge Report is not a mainstream media source. It is an Internet tip sheet with links to international news, famous for being the first site to expose the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Thanks to this kind of journalism, it is now harder than ever to cover up the truth.
Everyone is just as capable of becoming this superior version of a self-made journalist, rather than a ranting blogger. We all have the power to make our nation tell us the full truth, and we have the right to exercise this power. So get your iPhones ready, just in case Jenna decides to enlist.
Medill junior Meredith Laitos can be reached at [email protected].
