The Real Question Should Be: Why No Retraction?

By now, everyone in the world has seen either the video or a picture of Hillary Clinton’s medical episode after departing the 9/11 Memorial Service. While I am not a doctor and would never claim to be, from dissecting that video one can tell that there is definitely something wrong. She did not just get dizzy or lightheaded, she passed out. At this point, the speculation on the cause has been tremendous, if not overwhelming and unfortunately, there is nothing much that can be done to stop all the spin that is taking place.

This speculation has also given rise to multiple storylines that have basically been ignored by the mainstream media. For me, one of the biggest issues I have seen in the last few days is the fact that ABC News in New York reported Sunday night that Mrs. Clinton had passed away. Usually, I would dismiss this as a conspiracy theory and move along, but there is an element to the story that does not sit well: why was there no retraction?

In this culture of a 24/7 news cycle, retractions come in all shapes and sizes. Hell, Donald Trump has made a living off the middle of the night retraction on Twitter, and every time it happens, it becomes from page news. In this case, if Joe Torres (the reporter) made an honest mistake, why not own up to it and print or publish a retraction (especially with all of the video and screenshots that are in circulation). To me, this would be not only the right thing to do; it is something that has to be done.

At this point, without a retraction, the story will continue to build and could potentially cause more issues within this already miserable campaign cycle. Plus the longer the story lives, the more people should start to wonder why? Of course, you could say that the story was a mistake and the topic was ludicrous, and you may be right. However, if we the citizens of the United States do not start forcing the media to own up to their mistakes, we are the ones who are going to suffer.

Now I have not decided whom I am going to vote for because personally I do not like either main party candidate. In fact, I do not like the party system at all, because it takes away from the foundations of our great nation. Politicians should work for us, not the other way around. We should not care about their agendas; they should interact with the populace to find what will help everyone (something that does not happen at all).

Why is it like this? Well, because in the United States, the media in our nation act as political mouthpieces instead of holding to the journalistic principles and delivering the real news.  Instead, the main news outlets only spin or ignore the truth until they are forced to cover it (much like Mrs. Clinton’s health issues). Think about it, would we have known about this medical incident had there not been a video? My guess would be no.

That is why I believe that the media should do their job and truly dissect these candidates. Both Trump and Clinton should have to provide their tax information for review by an independent auditor; just as they should both have to go through a rigorous medical evaluation by an outside independent medical professional. For too long the establishment has lied to the American population and the mainstream media is complicit in every lie and now we are stuck with two candidates that are about the worst combination of candidates ever seen.

As Americans, we deserve better and it is up to us to speak out and force the media to listen. Now, this cannot happen overnight and the change must begin at the local levels, but at some point, it has to happen. If it does not, the 1984 dystopian society will become even more commonplace and we will have nothing.