Media

Re "Boy, 7, Returned to Parents a Day After Abduction," Jan. 5, and "Media Kept Secret to Protect a Child's Life," Jan. 6. I have always thought of the media as completely consumed in their own prosperity, but I can now say that I was proved wrong by the kidnapping of Matthew Simms. I am truly impressed with the care the media took in keeping the case confidential. I have finally seen a bit of humanity and compassion among journalists. Unfortunately, the public does not always get to see the media's hidden heart.

Re "Two Impulses Drive the Media: Prurience and Self-Preservation," Commentary, Feb. 18: Accepting for a moment David Shaw's contention that the Monica/Bill affair is about sex and not about "(alleged) perjury, (alleged) subornation of perjury and (alleged) obstruction of justice," why lie about it? The American people do not care. Hillary doesn't care. So why lie? TERRENCE BEASOR Santa Monica Shaw hit the nail on the head in his commentary about the media's infatuation with the Monica Lewinsky story.

The media institutions of today have so grown in stature as to become a virtual unelected fourth branch of government. That they have finally taken sides in a struggle for power and control of ideas is inevitable; that they have turned a deaf ear to honest criticism is not. The loss of journalistic integrity and objectivity by our press makes us all immeasurably poorer. TRENT K. ROLLOW Santa Ana

Few newspapers or magazines escaped 2009 without losses and the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles suffered like many others. Operators of the weekly news outlet trimmed staff. They cut salaries 20%. Still, they worried whether the Journal — chronicler of a variety of topics including Torah portions, sexual mores, Mideast politics and entertainment industry chatter — would make it to its 25th anniversary next year. But by banking hard on two of the most robust growth trends in 21st century media — niche journalism and philanthropy — the Jewish Journal appears to have extended its life expectancy and expanded its coverage of Jewish life in Southern California.

Re "Whitewater: Media Frenzy Unavoidable," news analysis, March 12: The article on the media frenzy surrounding Whitewater tells us about a "meaningless" note found in Vincent Foster's office after his alleged suicide that led to a Washington Post article speculating that it linked him to a slush fund. We are told that it now appears "it was simply a list of dates the Clintons deposited money in a school account for their daughter, Chelsea." This is the typical press double-standard when it comes to a Democrat in the White House.

Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle has little love for the media these days. Now, she and her campaign are simply shutting out the Fourth Estate. In a radio interview aired this morning, the candidate made it clear that her campaign is not talking to reporters ? and her silence is journalists' fault because they're "unprofessional. " She added that others should follow her lead. "We need to bring back the professionalism into reporting, and I think that when we have an opportunity to teach a lesson, we should," Angle said in the interview with conservative talk show host Heidi Harris.