MONGERSON, Paul 1922-

PERSONAL: Born September 14, 1922, in Moline, IL; married Nevlyn Eves, April 9, 1949; children: Lauri Mongerson Friend, Carol Mongerson Gilley, John, Susan Mongerson Schilligo. Ethnicity: "American." Education: Iowa State University, B.S.M.E. Hobbies and other interests: Golf, fishing.

ADDRESSES: Home—7425 Pelican Bay Blvd., Apt. 703, Naples, FL 34108. Office—Fax: 941-593-7841. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Stanadyne, Inc., Windsor, CT, chief executive officer, chair, and president, 1946–85; Computer Assisted Diagnosis and Therapy Foundation, affiliate, 1985–90. Center for Media and Public Affairs, member of board of directors; Northwestern University, sponsor of annual Medill School of Journalism Award for investigative reporting on news coverage, 2001–. Military service: U.S. Navy, 1943–46; became lieutenant junior grade.

MEMBER: American Medical Informatics Association.

AWARDS, HONORS: President's Award, American Medical Informatics Association, 1995.

WRITINGS:

The Power Press: Its Impact on America and What You Can Do about It, Fulcrum Publishing (Golden, CO), 1997.

SIDELIGHTS: Paul Mongerson once told CA: "In 1968 I had a first-hand experience that indicated that some journalists distort the news to support their personal beliefs. My primary motivation for writing is a desire to warn that control of America is slipping from 'the people' to journalists who control the public's thinking by slanting the news.

"Almost all books and articles about the news media are written by journalists. That is as unsatisfactory as if only playwrights write about the theater, or the automotive industry about automobiles, or bankers about finances. I have studied and written about the news from a consumer viewpoint and directed to the consumer. Many of my positions are ignored by the journalist authors and speakers.

"In the 1960s the presentation of news was mainly still a public information service of newspapers. The goal of most was presenting objective news. The media corporations had little power when they presented information. Those corporations became the most powerful segment of our society when in the next twenty years they were able to eliminate their liability for making false statements and journalists began advocating of their favored causes in news stories without warning their audience. This technique has tremendous leverage because the audience accepts the story as factual news when it is actually is advocacy (editorializing) of the reporter's beliefs.

"My book The Power Press: Its Impact on America and What You Can Do about It tells how it was possible to switch from the 'Information Press' to the 'Power Press,' it's impact on America, and what the consumer can do about it.

"The book points out some cases where journalists honestly believe they are justified in distorting the news because they are correcting the public's faulty judgment. Many journalists believe their judgment is better than the public's consensus. They are taking us back to the eons when a minority justified controlling the majority with the claim of intellectual superiority, religious guidance, or an inherited 'right.'

"Much of the public recognizes that the journalists are mixing advocacy with the news without telling the audience and as the result the news media credibility has plummeted. That drop in credibility directly harms the Mainstream Media (MSM) corporations by diverting audience to alternate news sources, but more important it also destroys the public confidence in its leaders and the accuracy of it's information.

"The improvements in technology, journalist education, and diversifying of news sources should enable the news media to present the most accurate news in history. Some news sources are excellent. However, the quality of others is inferior because journalists change their ethics, reduce their accountability and accept mixing advocacy in news stories.

"The Power Press not only discusses the problems, but offers solutions."