Wire v. The Media on Drugs II: You're Right, David Simon, We Suck

The Wire's David Simon has posted a fascinating and exasperated cri de coeur -- calling the media and critics to task for failing to note a key point he tried to make in the show's final season. While the Mayor was failing to fix the troubled schools, cops were faking serial killings and drug dealers were getting away with murder -- none of this made it into the fictionalized Baltimore Sun. The mutt didn't bark -- and the watchdogs didn't notice.

Given the amount of real and virtual ink that has been spilled on The Wire, this omission is truly extraordinary. It crushingly illustrates the incredible blind spot the press has developed for the stories all around it that never get told -- and for focusing on trivia whilst ignoring catastrophe.

A small, but sad example is the Baltimore Sun's current crusade for greater regulation of the addiction treatment medication, buprenorphine. In an incredibly slanted series (which I first wrote about here), the Sun narrowed in on a tiny problem while refusing to look at the big picture.

Calling for greater regulation of buprenorphine in the context of lowered budgets for addiction treatment, high levels of opioid overdose and epidemics of HIV and hepatitis C in IV drug users is like swimming furiously for shore in a riptide. Not only is it a waste of energy -- it's actually counter-productive and gets you further from where you want to go.

Research finds that increased access to buprenorphine in the context of widespread availability of heroin and strong opioids like Oxycontin dramatically decreases overdose risk and the spread of blood-borne infections. The fact that some addicts use it on the street is actually a positive: it's less dangerous than heroin, methadone and most prescription opioids that are injected.

But the Sun won't even countenance this possibility -- and of course, public officials have to respond with greater drug control because politics and this kind of reporting -- makes any other option unspeakable.

The press cannot see this because it is so wrapped up in drug war propaganda that it never questions its own assumptions that all drug use is bad and all drugs are equally risky.

Addiction is a massively complex social problem -- but the sad thing is that rather than suggest solutions, the press is busy looking for stories to plug into its prize-seeking formula. And this kind of series, misguided as it is, often does win prizes. You're right, David Simon, we're pathetic!

Comments

[AntonioMaceo]

You raise really good points. I'm a big fan of the wire and its precursor miniseries (by the same author with many of the same actors based on a true story, a must see imo) "The Corner". The other question it brought to my mind though was: how the he11 does heroine get all the way from Afghanistan to Baltimore in sufficient quantities to completely destroy an entire community. I mean who is bringing this stuff over and how.

[AnnieIlene]

Your article is right on. I just don't think it goes far enough. The really big picture has to do with the press turning the other way on what they know is a pharmaceutically driven, in fact, created problem. If thier bosses werent so financially dependant and connected with the big pharm boys, they might be able make a dent in this so-called drug war. At least enough coverage so as to go back to the days when 75 year old grandmothers are not being admitted to detox clinics because of great marketing strategies and ill-prepared medical authories. Wouldn't that be nice!

Nice to see someones thinking.
Annie Ilene

[Trilby]

HuffPost's Pick

I am an avid viewer of The Wire and I read Simon's screed against media types for missing the story that The Sun missed every story. Now, I am not a reviewer, not in the media, I just watch for pleasure, and I didn't catch that either. But in my own defense, I don't know what The (fictional) Sun published during the final (fictional) season of The Wire. I know that the one reporter was making stuff up and that another reporter wrote a moving piece about Bubbles, but as for what filled the rest of the pages every day, I have no idea! So am I an idiot for not knowing that the (fictional) Sun failed to write about the schools, failed to write about corrupt government, failed to write about the police juking the stats? I have no idea what they did or did not publish, really. But I enjoyed the heck out of it anyhow. Thanks, David Simon!

[furious911]

Amen. I've been hounding the Balt Sun to give an honest, in-depth reply to Simon's critique about their organization and industry for months. And for months they've completely avoided the issue, instead focusing on ridiculous topics liek the latest ratings and why they didn't think season 5 was as good as the others.

What nonsense. The War, the economy, healthcare...all these problems that are no crushing us were allowed to happen because the media failed to do its job and serve the interests of the people. That's hwy Simon left it for the end. It is the most important of the 5 institutions he covered and all the problems of the others are allowed to persist because this fifth one fails.