I try to be nonpartisan here and my interest in this story is to shed some possible insight into the thinking of NBC attempt at showmanship and the follow-on consequences. I bring noted media critic @HowardKurtz’s opinion into what the District of Columbia police should do in response to David Gregory’s showing a magazine clip for a semi-automatic gun that is illegal to possess in that district where the show was taped.

I bring it up is for two reasons: First, the very fact that it has gotten any sort of play is due to the many voices of the Internet bringing up what would have been ignored by the media in the past. Because of the group think I’ve alluded, there would have been no ‘need’ by the gatekeepers to let anyone of their customers know that there is a potential issue in how they present the story. Those days are gone. There’s more of a chance now you’ll hear the other side.

Second, and this is only from my personal experience in the media, Howard’s piece echoes the reaction I’ve seen over the years when we members of the media were caught breaking the law. Because we took on the mantle of a public service, we tended to misdirect the attention we brought on ourselves if we were caught. At least in the past, and I suspect it will happen here, is that even though members of the media are not above the law, if they make enough noise the authorities will usually yield. The executives in charge will make some concession, not unlike a parent who will punish their child ‘when they get home.’ But the officials tend to yield because they don’t want to potentially lose in a noisy fight. As to the news media, there will be some internal repercussions to ‘don’t make this kind of mistake again’ but ultimately like a spoiled child, they’ll know they had the power to get off.

I don’t presume to know how the DC police will yield or not, but the business side of the media don’t like to be vulnerable as any business does. But this business is not like yours and mine, is it? If you or I get caught with a device that is illegal in D.C. we’ll go to jail. It remains to be seen if David Gregory will get the same treatment non-priveliged persons usually get.