posted
An unusually passionate article about the way the US press is finally standing up against Bush & co :
quote:As President Bush scurries back to the Gulf Coast, it is clear that this is the greatest challenge to politics-as-usual in America since the fall of Richard Nixon in the 1970s.
Then as now, good reporting lies at the heart of what is changing.
But unlike Watergate, "Katrinagate" was public service journalism ruthlessly exposing the truth on a live and continuous basis. Instead of secretive "Deep Throat" meetings in car-parks, cameras captured the immediate reality of what was happening at the New Orleans Convention Center, making a mockery of the stalling and excuses being put forward by those in power.
Amidst the horror, American broadcast journalism just might have grown its spine back, thanks to Katrina.
-------------------- All along the untrodden paths of the future, I can see the footprints of an unseen hand. Posts: 6912 | From: Flanders | Registered: Jan 2004
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quote: When the back-slapping president told the Fema boss on Friday morning that he was doing "a heck of a job" and spent most of his first live news conference in the stricken area praising all the politicians and chiefs who had failed so clearly, it beggared belief.
My mother was telling me that CNN had a piece where they had "the FEMA boss" making his points and they showed photoclips refuting just about everything he was claiming.
If true, it's the first time in a long time that I've heard of that happening.
-------------------- If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation. - Jean Kerr Posts: 18428 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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posted
I hadn't seen that particular clip, but I have been pleased with the media in general actually trying to report the truth for a change. I'm cautiously optimistic!
-------------------- Another lifetime I'd have fallen in love with you Swept away by my feelings, ashamed and confused But just now it's enough to be walking with you Let the mystery play as it will! -Lui Collins Posts: 2669 | From: Jouy en Josas, France | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Don't you get it? The fault is still in ourselves!
The media exists to sell soap. (Or Oxy-Clean or whatever.)
*WE* are the ones making these decisions, by choosing which channel to watch.
The media follow us; if showing the President in a good light sells soap, they'll do that. If showing his flubs makes us stay tuned, that's what they'll do instead.
Blaming "the media" for which way it goes is as stupid as blaming a man's shadow for turning left or right when the man does!
Silas
Posts: 16801 | From: San Diego, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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On one hand yes, you are absolutly right that the issues with the media we have today are our own fault as a society..
However, the fact of the matter is that the media (or, well the news at least) really should be out there to get the truth, not just to sell soap.. I know thats wishful thinking, but it would be nice if people really believed it.
I mean every job in the country is not about 'selling soap'. There are lots of thankless jobs (both in money and respect) that people do every day, of their own free will, because they want to and/or belive in it. "Soldier" is one, policeman is another, there are many many more. These people definitly aren't in it for the money, and odds are they aren't getting the respect they deserve, so why do they do it when there are other more.. Well logical (from a capitalistic point of view) jobs out there? Cause they believe in it.
I wish the newsmedia was the same, not about selling soap, getting ratings, pushing their partisan slants (a little is understandable, when a news agency becomes known as the liberal/conservitive news by a majority of people they've gone too far) and everything else the news has become.
I'm not quite sure how to solve this one.. I mean you can say "vote with your $$'s and don't watch".. But firstly there are only so many news agencies out there if you wanna get info, even if some of that info is bogus. And secondly there are always gonna be people who DO watch because they like the way the news is now (Fun, with stuff about Michael Jackson and Martha Stewart, nothing that really makes you think or exposes you to stuff you may not wanna see).
Now I'll agree that the whole 'Katrina' news has been exceptional (although I'd say thats cause teh various newspeople wanna make a name for themselves more then anything else, but hey as long as we all arrive at the right spot I don't care how you got there). But I fear that it won't be long before we slink right back into the same old way we did things.. Just like after 9/11, the Tsunami and various other 'big news stories' that have happened in the past few years.
Sorry for the extra long post
Mickey "This Just In.." Blue
-------------------- "All people are responsible for the good that they didn't do" Posts: 4774 | From: Virginia | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Let's be careful about what media we're referring to here, first of all. "The media" isn't a monolith.
Having said that, I personally noticed immediately that the TV cable news channels had gotten their guts back. I've been refusing to watch them since the "runaway bride" debacle (where they covered the story hour after hour for at least a full day, relegating car bombs in Iraq to top-of-the-hour highlights), but I tuned back in after Katrina to see the quickly-infamous footage and I couldn't believe the explicit criticisms of the administration I was hearing from CNN anchors.
I tend to agree with Silas's view that if any part of the media isn't critical enough, the fault lies in the public demand, not the media. It's unrealistic to expect people trying to make money to be noble and always pursue The Truth (TM). But I suppose this time, the magnitude (and visibility) of the devastation was enough to stop the waffling. Is that encouraging? Not to me.
Posts: 1251 | From: Michigan | Registered: Sep 2004
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-------------------- All along the untrodden paths of the future, I can see the footprints of an unseen hand. Posts: 6912 | From: Flanders | Registered: Jan 2004
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Lokiboss
The Red and the Green Stamps
posted
Maybe I'm just a little distrustful but could the new found zeal of the press be a little self serving? If it the medias job to report the truth why is it that I don't remeber any stories of the press screaming over and over again about what would happen if the leevies broke. i don't remeber any stories about how many people didn't have cars to evacuate from the city. I don't remeber any stories about the lack of experince the FEMA director had. I do remeber story after story of reporters at the beaches pretending to have trouble standing in 20-30 mph gust talking of the dangers of the wind and surf and the amazing power of the storm. Granted being in S. FLA without power for a couple of days, I didn't see the full coverage of the storms run up to the Gulf Coast but after the last year you kind of know what the coverage will be. Somehow I do not expect the press to investigate nor report their own failures.(unless it would ruin a rival) cough dan cough
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Sara at home
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
Compared to most of the rest, Olbermann always had a spine. But yes, the others have come around.
-------------------- Assume that all my posts will be edited at least once. Dyslexic -- can't spell, can't type, can't proofread. Posts: 8317 | From: Reading, PA | Registered: Mar 2004
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