Memorial Day service honors 'those who gave all'

Tom Isaac

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette

Monday, May 25, 2009, 2:15 p.m. -- A crowd of about 100 people turned out Monday for the annual Memorial Day service at the Bardstown Cemetery. The event is sponsored by the two American Legion posts in Bardstown, the Old Kentucky Home Post 121 and the Abraham Lincoln Post 167. Legion member Kenny Fogle emceed the event, which was broadcast live over WBRT 1320 AM.

While usually in attendance as a member of the local media, Tom Isaac, news director of PLG-TV 13, stepped out from behind the camera to serve as guest speaker -- an opportunity he told this writer he didn't hesitate to accept.

One of the most important freedoms we enjoy as Americans is the freedom of the press, Isaac told the crowd. Journalists and newspapers are not required to have a license, or regulated by the government as is the practice in other countries. "I don't have to have a license or even a press pass," he said.

Since he first began reporting new here in Bardstown in 1966, Isaac said he has seen a lot of changes in the news business. Technology and advances in communication have made information more accessible. No longer is it necessary to wait for a newspaper or nightly news broadcast to find out what is going on in the world.

Isaac referred to predictions Bill O'Reilly offered about how technology might impact traditional media in his book "The O'Reilly Factor." Isaac said many of O'Reilly's predictions are coming to pass, including the decline of the printed newspaper in some communities.

Citing this web site and other local sites, he noted that the Information Age allows anyone with a web site to call themselves a journalist. Traditional media outlets -- print, radio and TV -- are no longer the main sources of news. News and entertainment are often blended into programming like "The Jon Stewart Show," "Tonight with Jay Leno" and others.

The many different information sources aren't always reliable, he said.

"You as a consumer have to do a better job of seperating the truth from the lies and distortions," he said. We all must become better consumers of information."

Freedom of the press is one of the many freedoms we enjoy because of the men and women who have fought and died in their defense, he said..

Memorial Day 2009
Bardstown Cemetery