Pulitzers Are Pro-War? Pressing The Pushitzers. (April 22, 2013)
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1 “Hearst sure was. He lobbied via his newspapers to get America involved in a dustup or two.”
2 “You never know, he might have qualified for a Pulitzer. Their award for Commentary often seems to reward the individual who did the most over the past year to foment, promote and encourage war and discord, albeit usually subtly.”
1 “I envision a ‘war correspondent’ as someone like Martha Gellhorn who chronicled war and was even repelled by it rather than those who advocate and lobby for the start and prosecution of a war.”
2 “Greenhorn that I am, I naively believe that a ‘war correspondent’ who understands war also should comment on the need to prosecute those who start and prosecute an illegal and immoral war.”
1 “The War Lobby is wide-ranging; each industry does its part and takes its pro rata profit. The Washington Post/The New York Times Pulitzer Prize for Commentary shuffles between The Washington Post Writers Group and The New York Times group of writers with a few stray forays over to the Murdoch Journal and another publication or two. And favors those who favor war.”
2 “When you think about it, the unprovoked and illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003 could go down in history as ‘The Washington Post/The New York Times War.’”
1 “Or the ‘General Electric/NBC/MSNBC War.’”
2 “Or the ‘ABCNNBCBS War.’”
1 “Or the ‘Fox Fiasco.’ A war spikes ratings.”
2 “And builds bottom lines. In a generation, the Press has moved from investigating at great financial and personal risk the undermining of democracy in 1973 to supporting the invasion of a sovereign nation in 2003 with great financial and personal reward for the journalists, television folks and others on the inside.”
1 “As they said back in the olden days in ‘73, follow the incentive structure. The Pulitzer Prize impacts pay, power, prestige, promotions, professorships, and the like. We need to establish a peace prize for commentary for the journalist who questions the immediate resort to full-scale war and violence for every slight or perceived slight to counterpoise the Pulitzer Commentary War Prize.”
. . .
2 “Remember the scene in ‘Three Little Beers’ where the Three Stooges impersonate reporters to gain entrance to the Rancho Golf Course by using knobs from bathroom fixtures as press passes. Moe’s and Larry’s read ‘Press’; Curly’s read ‘Pull.’ To get reporters to impersonate reporters, we need to establish something like the Pressitzer Commentary Peace Prize to push against the powerful forces advocating for war and violence.”
1 “What about the ‘Pushitzer Commentary Peace Prize’ to press for the consideration of a peaceful resolution.”
2 “But peace may not be what the editors and publishers want, so the effort may be all for naught.”
1 “The outcome turns on what the readers want. And will pay for.”
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Bumper stickers of the week:
Earth Day Every Day
Civics Quiz: “Can you name either the Three Stooges or the three branches of government?” “Larry, Moe and the Supreme Court. . . . Right?” . . . “Spanky, Fox and Congress.” . . . “Manny, Moe and Jack.”
A press pass is not a pass for the press
If you are not a pacifist, are you an activist?
Give war a chance
Give war a fighting chance
Give war a fighting chance, or I will kill you
Don’t give peace a chance, not even a fighting chance or I will kill you
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