Yes, officially. Today’s Baltimore Sun, headline news, most important article of the day: “Cheney Accepts Blame”. Alright, then in the little “Inside” box on the left-hand corner, under the World heading: “New Photos Published — An Australian television network broadcasts previously unseen pictures of Iraqi prioners at Abu Ghraib prison being mistreated by U.S. soldiers in 2003.”

Hey, Sun, this is YOUR JOB! Look, we got torture going on in Guantanamo. We got hearings going on over government failure during Katrina. But “Lawmakers grill Chertoff” is below the fold. And what’s the top news story of the day? “Cheney Accepts Blame.” It’s a joke. It’s the saddest fucking joke ever.

Face it, the news media is failing the American people. I say this not as a lame media-bashing blogger, but as an American citizen. I say this as an American citizen who demands to know more about what’s really important. I want to know what my government has done in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. I want to know why it took so long for the government to respond to Katrina. Instead, all I get is the blame game in the latter story, and a story about an Australian news outlet regarding the former. I want to know, not to play the blame game, and try to attack the Bush administration. I want to know in order to force the government to fix what’s going on. I want to know if the anti-torture bill has had any effect. Believe it or not, public opinion does have some sway on politicians. If the news media did its job, the American people could help fix these things merely by voicing their disgust.

I honestly think this issue warrants my accusatory tone. As a citizen of America, I honestly believe the news media is failing the American people.

Also, please read Lloyd’s entry, “on torture, american-style.”