"Americans are the most entertained and least informed people in the world," contend many international observers about the state of affairs of our nation’s mainstream news industry. And is it any wonder? Consider what the U.S. media constantly inundates Americans with in the press and on TV and radio—even the types of movies and books they endorse and ballyhoo. The mass media has blatantly avoided reporting the accomplishments of engineers and other kinds of professionals who similarly add value and make life better.

Rather, mainstream media concentrates on reporting scandals, murders, and the mischievousness of celebrities—characters they themselves either may have created or propagated. The media states that they focus on dastardly wrongdoings and negative events because thats news. Positive accounts about things that work or go smoothly—we are told by them—are not new.

The only industry awards that are noteworthy to the media are those doled out by the movie, television, music, and sports industries. Occasionally, we can read a story or two about Nobel Prize winners, but usually not on the front page, which is reserved typically for awards like the Oscars—flavored by the antics of the Oscar recipients. Wheres the coverage of the prestigious $500,000 Draper Prize, which recognizes engineers whose achievements have changed or are changing history? Among the Draper recipients are the creators and developers of GPS (the global positioning system), the Internet, fiber optics technology, and the turbojet engine.

Ole Ben Franklins pithy observation, Do things worth writing about or write things worth reading, fails to hold much water with todays mass media.

Award-winners in engineering, whose work really improves lives and standards of living, never get reported. Yet they are the very people who would be the best role models for our youth.

Joey Skaggs, a habitual media hoodwinker, regularly gets the national press, TV, and radio to bite on a wide range of ridiculous hoaxes, from a cathouse for dogs (animal prostitution) to diet control patrols (bodyguards who beat people up if they try to eat anything not on their diet plan). He said its easy to dupe the mainstream media because they are so desperate to report the unusual—and to get the scoop. Planting preposterous stories will continue to thrive because the American media is not really in the news business; its in the entertainment business!

And although those in the industry will vehemently deny it—just as they deny having either liberal or conservative biases—their stories must help sell their products because the media depend heavily on advertising revenues and the almighty buck. Plus, getting scoops and having cover-page stories advances individual careers within the industry.

How do we deal with this state of affairs? Constantly grumbling about the situation and whining about being the invisible profession wont change much. Likewise, no good is reaped from sticking our heads in the sand, hoping and praying that media decision-makers finally will come to their senses about what they consider to be news—something worth reading and writing about. And planting farfetched stories as Skaggs and others like him do should hardly be encouraged.

None of this—grumbling and whining, hiding and praying, or tricking—is the answer. The only solution is for leaders in the engineering community to step forward and be heard, which means doing the following two things:

¥ Get involved beyond engineering in your community, not just as a member of a committee or activity, but as its leader.

¥ Get to know as many reporters, editors, and newscasters as possible on a first-name basis, especially those who are honorable and want to cover good-news rather than bad-news events.

In addition to developing strong ties with members of the media, insist that your engineering societies invest in comprehensive, on-going programs to reach future journalists while still in college. Expose them to the concept that engineering and the work of engineers uplifts the human spirit, and that the well being of society and progress depend on both. Waiting to do this until after they are out of college and jaded likely is too late.

How many leadership positions do you now hold in your community? How many key people do you know in the mainstream media? If your answer is none or few, then are you going to change that? Americans are the most entertained and least informed people in the world, contend many international observers about the state of affairs of our nations mainstream news industry. And is it any wonder? Consider what the U.S. media constantly inundates Americans with in the press and on TV and radio—even the types of movies and books they endorse and ballyhoo. The mass media has blatantly avoided reporting the accomplishments of engineers and other kinds of professionals who similarly add value and make life better.

Richard Weingardt, P.E., is CEO and chairman of Richard Weingardt Consul-tants, Inc., a Denver-based structural engineering firm. He can be reached via e-mail at rweingardt@gostructural.com.