Categories
American Culture

Thank You for Your Coverage

The defenders of our country — Thank you for your service — must be made of tough stuff. That’s what military service means. Yet elements of the media worry, presume service personnel and veterans have thin skins.

“Garfield” on Veterans Day ran a routine cat comic strip. Many comics just did their daily gag, though there’s a number that are mindful of holidays. “Garfield’s” involved spiders and an invention of National Stupid Day and nervous publishers thought veterans would be offended. The articles on this indicate no veterans complained and some wondered why the nervousness.

A few days ago my Brick discussed about how hard it was to stop reading a comic strip one was hooked on. Reading about “Garfield” made me remember I have not read it in years. “Cathy” either.

Two months ago, the Portland newspaper — Maine’s Portland — ran a front-page feature on the Muslim holiday Ramadan on Sept. 11. Uh-oh. The paper ran an apology prominently.

Though the United States can be vulnerable — that’s what 9/11 is about, after all — we Americans pride ourselves on being rugged, free and having the best system of government. Yet when we obsess over “how things look” in the media, it is not things but we who appear insecure.

Newspapers cover things after they happen. 9/11 is written up for 9/12, outside of perhaps announcements of vigils and commemorations. So the Sept. 11 front page or TV lead story is mostly news, including a 9/11 preview. Veterans Day gets its reportage on Nov. 12, though newspapers run pictures of flags and bunting being set up a day or two beforehand as well as event announcements. On Nov. 11, a Thursday this year, news fans read the paper to see what happened on Wednesday with the local schools and President Obama, and a sports team. They might have recognize a picture of someone they know getting ready for a Armistice Day parade, too. And seen “Beetle Bailey” leading the comics page in honoring those who died or survived while fighting for this country or its allies.

In TV, newspaper and magazine planning of Veterans Day coverage, or that of Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, the common byword for decades, particularly in small markets, is “you can’t run too much on veterans.” Interestingly, Veterans Day coverage in the local newspapers, at least one TV station, and an independent community news blog reported on the vets parade in Fayetteville yet failed to note the astounding lack of spectators.  The parade was well-promoted beforehand. So then there is a limit on news coverage of veterans?

An imaginary, ageless orange tabby probably is harmless to the wellbeing of the country. America is bigger than that. America is dogs and cats and possums, Snoopy and Garfield and Pogo.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email