Archive for the Press/Media Category

Pulitzers Are Pro-War? Pressing The Pushitzers. (April 22, 2013)

Posted in Awards / Incentives, Journalism, Newspapers, Press/Media on April 22, 2013 by e-commentary.org

. . .

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.”

. . .

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

Centrist-Conservative Beats Corporatist-Culture Warrior (November 12, 2012)

Posted in Blue States / Red States, China, Elections, Iran, Journalism, Newspapers, O'Bama, Political Parties, Presidency, Press/Media, Romney, Russia, Southern Strategy, Spending on November 12, 2012 by e-commentary.org

. . .

C1        “Or should the headline read ‘Black And Browns Outwit Whites And Green (Paper).’”

C2       “Or ‘Ascetic Triumphs Over Bully.’  The election was a ‘campaign’ conducted in ‘battleground’ states by ‘operatives’ operating in a ‘war room’ who unwittingly are continuing to prosecute the ‘Great American Civil War.’”

C1        “The ‘Republican Southern Strategy’ is the ‘Republican National Strategy’, yet the Republicans were not able to conquer more than the ‘Contemporary Confederacy.’”

C2       “For two score or perhaps two score and four years since Nixon patented the policy, the ‘Southern Strategy’ was the go to play in the Republican playbook but may now need to be revisited.”

C1        “America is divided between the ‘Educated States’ that vote Blue and the ‘Uneducated States’ that vote Red.  States such as Massachusetts, Maryland, Colorado, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia, New Hampshire, New York and Minnesota are the ‘Educated States’ that vote Blue.  States such as West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama, Nevada, Indiana, Tennessee and Oklahoma are the ‘Uneducated States’ that vote Red.  Those who are less educated are motivated by and respond to fear.”

C2       “Nevada is the only exception in that group.  The citizens may not sport as much formal education, but Nevadans are a spunky group of transplants.”

C1        “And O’Bama and Reid also ran a great ground game in Nevada and in all the other battleground states.”

C2       “The residents of the upper Midwestern states such as Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois and the pivotal Ohio do not sport as many sheep skins, but they exercise horse sense in abundance.”

C1        “Wherever you find oil and gas, you find racism and corruption.  Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, North Dakota and Alaska.  With the discovery of oil, Alaska transitioned from Minnesota to Mississippi.  Astute pollsters note that these states tend to vote Red.  And then along comes North Dakota that elects to elect Heidi Heitkamp as a Senator.  Dead dinosaurs are destiny.”

C2       “Demographics are destiny.  Demo-graphics versus Republica-graphics.  And the outcome is graphic.  The Last Great White Hope is hopeless.  The rich White boys who want power are facing a reality that even the Red States are becoming Browner and Blacker.”

C1        “A strategic planner who seeks to locate a business that exploits the workers and despoils the land migrates to a Red State.  An enterprise that requires an educated populace searching for a sustainable quality of life migrates to a Blue State.  There are exceptions in pockets like Austin and a thousand other havens and oases, yet the general rule is true.”

C2       “Virginia’s senatorial contest between the Klan and Confederate Party candidate George Allen and the Centrist Party candidate Tim Kaine reveals the schism in many states that are described as Purple.  North Virginia went with Kaine and South Virginia went with Allen in a state where there are now more North Virginians than South Virginians.”

C1        “The educated electorate in North Carolina did not do it this year because it is so desperately small.  Curious that Bank of America’s decision to locate in Charlotte years before the 2008 election may have provided enough additional voters to provide the margin for O’Bama in the state in 2008 but not in 2012.”

C2       “South Florida is populated by transplanted Northerners who voted for O’Bama and North Florida is an appendage of Georgia and voted for Romney, but there are more Northern voters in South Florida than South voters in North Florida.”

C1        “And a few Browns.”

C2       “And a few Browns.  In an election that looked like it would be bought by a few faceless billionaires showering money from above and using Anger Mongering radio, billions of ordinary citizens on the ground really did made the difference for O’Bama.”

C1        “And two candidates shot themselves in the foot and then put the foot in their mouths and proclaimed that rape is akin to a sprained ankle or a trick knee.  New Hampshire was in play until Tuesday night and after the smoke and mirrors cleared on Wednesday morning, the smarter gender is in control in the first all-women delegation.  And the neighboring Bay Staters are banking on Elizabeth Warren.”

C2       “Brown did not do well in Massachusetts.  Tammy Baldwin, an openly gay female Senator-elect from Wisconsin, and Krysten Sinema, an openly bisexual Representative-elect from Arizona of all places, were not the pick of the billionaires.”

C1        “Tammy Duckworth, a wounded veteran from Illinois, finally made it.  Unfortunate that Pete Stark, the lone atheist, lost his seat.” 

C2       “The first Hindu member of Congress, Tulsi Gabbard, and a combat veteran.”

C1        “With Pete Stark gone, someone else must take up the Carbon Tax effort.  God voted under the name ‘Sandy’ as a single issue voter this year.”

C2       “Without showing any photo id.  The place is going to look like America.  Blue States such as Washington and Colorado have declared peace in the war on drugs and legalized the recreational use of marijuana.  Chalk up another win for freedom and liberty.”

C1        “And Washington, Maine and Maryland now allow an individual to decide if he or she wants to get married.”

C2       “Another win for freedom and liberty.  And Minnesota voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality.”

C1        “Washington state is awfully pushy.  All the talented folks will migrate there.”

C2       “When the Nobel Committee signals that it will reward the conclusion, someone will connect the dots between freedom and liberty in a state and clean and green growth and development.  The Blue States vote for freedom and liberty.”

C1        “In 2004, O’Bama came to national attention aspiring for one United States of America, but only a little more than half of America will ever give him a chance.”

C2       “And now that petty pernicious pol Mitch McConnell is committed to making O’Bama a two-term President.”

C1        “We are the Red States of America and the Blue States of America.  There is no shame in candid self-awareness.” 

C2       “And yet the two countries confront many common concerns.  Iran is still Iran, China is still China, Russia is still Russia, and the fiscal fiasco is straight out of Wile E. Coyote.”

C1        “Europe may implode; the Middle East may explode.  Someone may want to take a look at the numbers that underpin entitlements and unnecessary defense/offense spending.  They still don’t add up.”

C2       “For decades, the Blue States have subsidized the Red States, yet we may see Illinois, California and/or New York, three small Blue countries in America, in need of major subsidies.”

C1        “Someone will say something about immigration.”  

. . .

[See the “e-ssay” titled America Recycles Day, November 15 (November 15, 2010).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Women are people too.

The odds for the election of the first gay Buddhist Brown woman to the White House should be available soon.

George Will:             Romney:         331;    Obama:        217

Michael Barone:      Romney:          315;    Obama:        223

Glenn Beck:               Romney:          321;    Obama:        217

Dick Morris:              Romney:          325

Carl Rove:                   Romney:          279

“I have been assured that everything is in place for a Romney sweep of the Electoral College and the popular vote.  Talk is cheap.  Are you man enough to put your money where your mouth is.  $100 that Romney takes it.”  “I don’t have any assurances.  There is $1000 where my mouth is.  If you are man enough.” 

“I have been assured that everything is in place for a Romney sweep of the Electoral College and the popular vote.  Talk is cheap.  Are you man enough to put your money where your mouth is.  $100 that Romney takes it.”  “I don’t have any assurances.  There is $1000 where my mouth is.  If you are man enough.” 

Excellence In Journalism? Time For A True Trophy (September 24, 2012)

Posted in Awards / Incentives, English Language, Facebook, Google, Journalism, Language, Newspapers, Press/Media, Writing on September 27, 2012 by e-commentary.org

. . .

J1          “Awards shape behavior.”

J2          “The palette of Pulitzers runs the spectrum from purple prose to yellow journalism.”

J1          “And the Pulitzers for black and white journalism run the route from The New York Times group of writers to The Washington Post Writers Group, with a few side shows.  The trophy could be transported on the Eastern Airlines shuttle between the New York and Washington airports named for political types, with a few side trips.”

J2          “I concede that the Pulitzers generally reward solid work, yet they only consider conventional and narrowly defined writing drawn from an exclusive clique of writers.”

J1          “They are an exclusive group because they exclude not because of excellence.  Then the Online News Association Awards emerged to emphasize ‘high-tech bells and whistles’ rather than quality and integrity.  The corporate sponsors call the shots.  The Googles and the Facebooks buy the beer and balloons and make the party possible.  Gobs of gaudy high-tech gadgets on a screen define journalism.”

J2          “But in the end that is what the readership wants.  Journalists cannot lose sight of the legitimate needs and concerns of the reader.  We need to sell the product without selling out.” 

J1          “Journalism needs a new way of thinking and a new award.  Awards shape behavior.”

. . .

[J1 = Journalist 1; J2 = . . . ]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Here today, gone today

Where’s the tofu?

Too much sizzle, not enough tofu

Mitt’s “Destructive Destruction”: The Bane of Capitalism (July 9, 2012)

Posted in Economics, Economics Nobel, Newspapers, Presidency, Press/Media, Romney on July 9, 2012 by e-commentary.org

 

 

. . .

J1          “Facts are facts.  Mitt never created jobs in America.  He destroyed jobs in America.  Mitt never created wealth.  He expropriated wealth.  Some call it ‘creative destruction.’  It is not ‘creative destruction.’  It is ‘destructive destruction.’  Let’s call it what it is.”

J2          “Seems to me that if you acquire a company with one thousand employees with borrowed money you do not intend to pay back and fire four hundred employees, you have not created six hundred jobs.  The risk-taking entrepreneur who worked late and on weekends thirty years ago to build the business and expand to one thousand employees created one thousand jobs.  Mitt is part of the problem, not part of the solution.  But journalists can’t say that.”

J1          “I know.  I understand.”

J2          “Then you are not a journalist.”

J1          “I can live with that.  But I still maintain there should be a decennial Pulitzer awarded for Truth.  And an occasional Nobel in economics awarded to someone who knows something about economics.”

. . .

Bumper stickers of the week:

Bain Capital – the bane of capitalism

Eviscerating America is not building America

The Drums of War (February 20, 2012)

Posted in Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, Iran, Iraq, Journalism, Middle East, Newspapers, O'Bama, Press/Media on February 20, 2012 by e-commentary.org

. . .

+          “Can you hear the drums?”

–           “Loud and clear.  Five by Five.  I can smell them; I can feel them; I can taste them; I can see them.  Those who decide have decided to go to war with Iran.”

+          “I sense it too.  O’Bama’s comments before the Super Bowl were not reassuring.  Some of the militaristic rhetoric may be designed to force the players to reconsider diplomatic alternatives.  Von Clausewitz and all.  Most efforts appear to be directed at concocting a ruse or pretext or charade to go to war.”

–           “The only thing left to do is to fool the public.  That doesn’t even require creativity.  The American Empire is now committed to prosecuting two wars at all times.  We lost in Iraq, proclaimed victory and claimed to withdraw.  Now America has a free, but very expensive, pass to invade another country.”

+          “There really is no overriding strategy.  Imposing sanctions is the tactic to date.  The problem with sanctions is that a people may learn how to hunker down and live with them.  That which does not kill me and all.  And God bless the American public.  However, forty-five percent of the public will not even notice the different consonant.”

–           “The ‘Iraq, Iran, who cares, they are all towels’ mindset.  When the war starts, the most likely public reaction will be a quizzical look and a question asking whether we didn’t just leave there.”

+          “The group known as the Press does not seem as united in support of an attack as the gang was in early 2003.  Yet those calling for war are muting the few voices of dissent.  The drums are drowning out the guitars.”

–           “We just refuse to learn from our mistakes.  What if we decided to do something right and learn from our success?”

. . .

+          “Some say Falklands; some say Malvinas.”

–           “If you look at the map, you say Argentina.”

+          “If you wander around the Isla and talk to the folks, you say Britain.”

–           “Geographic location versus self-determination.  History seems to emerge historically and not logically.”

+          “History is like that.  So the only way to settle the matter is to embrace the time-honored tradition of killing batches of eighteen year olds.”

–           “Certainly trendy through the ages.  It is about sovereignty, yes, yet it is always about oil.”

+          “Perhaps they need to respect each country’s sovereignty and work on an arrangement to share the offshore resources in shared waters.”

–           “Deploying Billy was entirely ill-advised, provocative and unnecessary.  We just refuse to learn.”

+          “What if Billy had refused to deploy.”

. . .

Bumper stickers of the week:

No war, no sanctions, no intervention, no assassinations against Iran

I’m already against the next war

Jeremy Lin

Peaceful Presidents’ Day

The guitars of peace

Incite, Sarah, Indict? (January 10, 2011)

Posted in Courts, Crime/Punishment, Elections, First Amendment, Guns, Health Care, Law, Press/Media, Society, Supreme Court, Tea Party on January 10, 2011 by e-commentary.org

. . .

R          “You cannot get out of bed in the morning without violating some section of Title 18 of the United States Code, the federal criminal code.  In fact, and as a matter of law, you cannot stay in bed in the morning without violating some section of Title 18 of the United States Code.”

S          “So why not indict her?  She incited and directed others to kill and targeted the targets by first and last name and address.  She created a mindset and a market for death.  She legitimized killing.  The specific nature of the killer’s mind and his motives are still emerging.  Maybe he did not do it for her or for some specific political purpose.  Nonetheless, he took her specific message and tactics to heart.”

R          “Perhaps her twisted comments about death panels and the like confused a twisted and confused mind.  Others stridently proclaim they have not heard anything inflammatory, yet he heard the shrill dog whistle.”

S          “Her comments were one of the legal, moral and proximate causes of the death and maiming in Arizona.  Look, she took down the targets on her website recently which is an admission of guilt.”

R          “A subsequent remedial measure?”

S          “What about the bull’s eyes?  Listen to others who now opine that political discourse has taken a turn for the worse.  The political discourse has not changed course one degree in recent years.  The entreaties to kill have simply reached their predictable and inevitable outcome.  Why is everyone now so shocked and stupefied?  What happened was intended.  It was only a matter of time.”

R          “During the 2008 and 2010 elections, a few commentators noticed that she promoted and encouraged violence against specific candidates.  Her threats of violence against specific candidates were and are not protected by the First Amendment and were and are clear violations of provisions of Title 18 when they target federal officials or occur on federal property.”

S          “She is white and connected, so she will be given a pass.  U.S. Attorneys expend considerable tax dollars prosecuting some harmless jaywalker on federal property who has the misfortune to be non-white and unconnected.”

R          “The Supreme Court decreed that corporations are legal persons.  The nattering news network is a legal person.  Persons can be indicted.  Another option is to indict the network, the president, the board of directors and the pitch men and women on tv.  We need to return to personal responsibility as a governor of behavior.  Law plays a role.”

S          “White.  Extraordinarily well connected.  And capable of getting a U.S. Attorney fired.  Same story.  Same outcome.  Those in power get a pass.  Carte blanc, the White Card.”

R          “Her vitriolic rants against a sitting President may be her undoing.  Title 18 criminalizes threats against a sitting President.  The grand irony would be to watch on YouTube after one of her tirades as her Secret Service protective detail turns and cuffs her for direct threats against the President.”

S          “That might go viral.”

R          “America sports a billion laws and yet has become such a lawless nation.  In the absence of personal responsibility and without some rules and the rule of law, affairs can and will get worse.”

S          “So why not simply allow a dozen jurors to decide?”

. . .

[See the “e-ssay” titled “In The Land Of Fury And The Home Of The Fearful (November 1, 2010).”]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Incite, Sarah, Indict

Incite, Sarah, Indict Sarah

There oughta be a law; no, there are laws but there oughta be some law enforcement.

What happens when you take an arrow out of the quiver, nock it with care, draw back purposefully, release while slowly exhaling and then look up to see that you have hit the bull’s eye?

I was walking across a bridge one day and saw a man standing on the edge and about to jump off.  So I ran over and said, “Stop! Don’t do it!”  “Why shouldn’t I?” he said.  I said, “Well, there’s so much to live for!”  He said, “Like what?”  I said, “Well, are you religious or atheist?”  He said, “Religious.”  I said, “Me too!  Are you Christian or Buddhist?”  He said, “Christian.”  I said, “Me too!  Are you Catholic or Protestant?”  He said, “Protestant.”  I said, “Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?”  He said, “Baptist!”  I said, “Wow!  Me too!  Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?”  He said, “Baptist Church of God!”  I said, “Me too!  Are you Original Baptist Church of God or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?”  He said, “Reformed Baptist Church of God!”  I said, “Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?”  He said, “Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915!”  I said, “Die, heretic scum!” and pushed him over the edge.

America’s Fraud Factories (October 18, 2010)

Posted in Education, Journalism, Law, Military, Press/Media, Schooling, Society on October 18, 2010 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K         “We in America closed the traditional factories but openly operate a network of profitable Fraud Factories.”

J          “Look at the flow of raw material.  The kids who get As in college go to med school, those who get Bs go to law school and those who get Cs go to biz school.  And look who makes the big bucks.”

K         “Those pursuing a journalism degree pursue truth and those pursuing a Master of Fine Arts pursue beauty.  At least in theory.  And Yeats proffered the exchange rate.”

J          “Those in the Corps embody an esprit de corps, the Semper Fi and Siempre Fi spirit.  And former Marines are among the most disciplined and honest journalists.  Think Jim Lehrer.”

K         “And Gordon Peterson.  Interning at Parris Island rather than grunting at The Paris Review provides a different worldview.”

J          “Right.  Fighter pilots reflect that same dedication, discipline and devotion to duty.  First responders, as they now call them, and most doctors share a sense of professionalism and commitment.  Those with the forest service and the fish and game service are genuinely concerned about the future well-being of the evergreens and the blue gills and the white tails.”

K         “And then there are the Fraud Factories, American business and law schools, teaching students the subtle art of fraud and deception.  The kids are taught to advance their own self-interest over anything else at almost any cost.  They are taught the nuances of gaming a business and legal system that is designed to be gamed.  Neither government regulation nor market forces restrain or direct their activities.”

J          “Biz schools are the most profitable divisions of the American corporate university system.  Biz schools are more profitable than law schools that are in turn more profitable than med schools.”

K         “And the colleges of arts and crafts may no longer be tolerated as loss leaders, albeit very expensive divisions of the corporate university system.  The motto of the American Association of Fraud Factories says it all:  ‘No Duty, No Honor, No Country.’”

J          “Some cutting edge biomedical engineers are debating how to teach robots to behave ethically.  The Fraud Factories take kids who exhibit one common trait – a ready willingness to obey and please their superiors – and engineer them to be robots.”

K         “Remember after Watergate when there was a national hand wringing about the nadir of the legal profession that occurred at the same time the journalism profession was at its zenith.  Law schools instituted professional responsibility classes.  Some astute students realized that a B+ grade reflected the right attitude to employers.  That is enough to get by and keep moving through the system but not too much enthusiasm for the topic.”

J          “The problem today is with the students admitted to the schools, the indoctrination process and the indentured servitude status that consigns the graduates to represent wealthy interests to pay off their crushing debts.”

K         “Think about it.  If Schicklgruber applied to law or business school today, the profitable schools would aggressively bid to attract him.  He is the ideal applicant – brilliant, charismatic and destined to succeed.  Everything is about success and power, and power and success, and success and power.  Yeats could have proffered the exchange rate.”

J          “If Concentration Camps of America, Inc. ever needs to staff concentration camps to warehouse and dispose of the unwanted, hire American-trained lawyers and biz school grads.  They won’t ask questions.”

K         “But don’t dare miss payroll.”

. . .

Bumper stickers of the week:

I’m not my brother’s keeper, just his banker.  I’m not even his banker, I’m my own banker.

Follow the money

I was just following orders

I was just following the money

I was just following the money orders

Duty, Honor, Country

Honor, Courage, Commitment

Smile while you’re makin’ it, Laugh while you’re takin’ it, Even though you’re fakin’ it, Nobody’s gonna know.      O Lucky Man!

On The Bribe/Bailout And Financial Reform (July 26, 2010)

Posted in Bailout/Bribe, Banks and Banking System, Bernanke, Federal Reserve, Journalism, Press/Media, TARP on July 26, 2010 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “So many commentators contend that the bailout/bribe of 2008 saved the American economy, yet they do not provide any detailed discussion or explanation.  Few seem to be challenging the conclusion.”

J          “When you think about it, no one has offered a coherent explanation of two things.  No one has explained the exposure of the economy and the problems encountered in September, 2008; no one has traced the impacts and consequences of the bailout, good and bad.”

K          “Spewing money randomly was unwise and counterproductive.  The market was the only way to purge the excesses of the market.  Purging the economy of the poison would have been painful, yet we as a country would be much better off in the intermediate and long runs.”

J          “Not many commentators were sounding warnings in 2005 or earlier.  I recall some warnings and misgivings from a few writers with the conventional press.  I also recall scattered concerns shared in some of these things called ‘blogs.’  Yet there was not enough chatter to capture the public imagination and stir any action or pause.”

K          “Some reports suggest that the some government funds have been repaid.  There is no way to verify the claims.  The Federal Reserve in particular is exempt by statute from any effective scrutiny, oversight and regulation.”

J          “The financial reform bill may be one of those bills that has not been read carefully by its proponents or by its opponents.  However, I believe that a small group of connected individuals is making far too much money to allow any meaningful reform to pass.”

K          “Aren’t we in worse economic trouble now because things have not changed.  Yet no one is really worried.”

J          “Too few journalists, even economic journalists, understand the economy.  Just reading and digesting the public statements issued by the Federal Reserve is almost a full time job.  The popular press may summarize some of the information in the Beige Book and G.19 Consumer Credit reports, yet there is not much analysis.  Who has the background and the experience to connect the dots.  And who do you trust.”

. . .

Bumper stickers of the week:

Don’t end the Fed; mend the Fed

ABCNNBCBS does not have many answers; Faux/Fox does not even ask the right questions.

“Ever since my husband began listening to NPR, he is so informed . . . and so depressed.”

Are Journalists Irrelevant or Making Themselves Irrelevant? (Dec. 28, 2009)*

Posted in Journalism, Newspapers, Press/Media, Society, Technology on December 28, 2009 by e-commentary.org

. . .

“Newspapers really are in a death spiral.  From my review of the editorial stances and endorsements of the newspapers across the country, however, half of them could fold and probably leave us better off.  The Great Divide between the two Americas rages in the country and in the editorial rooms.  The way the market is heading, half of the undesirable newspapers will fold, yet half of the ones contributing to the dialogue also will fold.  The great loss is the lost possibility that cannot be regained once a newspaper no longer folds paper and instead simply folds.”

“Look at the product.  Too many of the columns in newspapers seem to be hissy fits among a clique of columnists.  One columnist says one thing and then another columnist inserts ‘not’ at some points and elsewhere deletes the ‘nots.’  The length and style of the columns are formulaic and could be recycled and reprinted every few months.  The columnists could be laid off and computer generated columns substituted for their daily show.”

“And yet that is the best case scenario.  Other papers promise to deliver only one side of an issue and deliver on their promise.  We still return to the need in a Republic for a free and robust press.  The First Amendment removes most government impediments, yet the contemporary impediment is economic.  Why pay today when information is free or appears to be free?”

“The subscribers and advertisers each pitched in to pay and now both are abandoning ship because the ship is sinking.  My friends don’t read papers.  The advertisers don’t reach them.”

“There really were no free newspapers or sources of information, yet TV was free from a direct and immediate charge.  The advertisers, not the viewers, sponsored the show or paid the freight initially.  The auto, food, insurance and pharmaceutical companies paid for the ads up front.  Then HBO asked the public to pay to view; the public paid.  ABC provided sports for free and then ESPN asked the public to pay to view; the public paid.  Now the public willingly pays for some TV.  That is what newspapers must do.  The Internet is the hybrid ‘television newspaper.’  Induce the public to pay.”

“For what?  The major news networks transmit bogus fluff.”

“What about the MacNeil/Lehrer program?”

“PBS?  Only if I can record it or view it on line.  The news on public television is credible but kind of stodgy.  Those of us who will soon run what is left are getting our news and opinions from a former soccer player who realizes that a person must entertain to inform.  He both entertains and informs and appears to be speaking truth to an audience raised on lies.  That is a workable business model.  Provide a quality product and people might pay.  What could be more obvious.”

“HBO and ESPN provide divertissements not news.  Something unsexy like investigative journalism is expensive and does not pay.  The hard task is not merely reporting on findings but finding the findings.  That will be the big loss every time a paper folds.  We as a society are losing the slim possibility that someone in power will be held accountable for his or her actions and inactions.”

. . .

(* This title was changed in February, 2010 because the prior title was too understated.)

Bumper sticker of the week:

Starting with Monday’s edition, Section D on “Jobs” is now titled “Job”, Section F on “Classifieds” is now titled “Foreclosure Notices”, and the “Sports” are found in Section B and the new expanded section C.

BB Alliance (April 20, 2009)

Posted in Press/Media, Race on April 20, 2009 by e-commentary.org

Some years ago, Paul Rodriguez, usually described as a comedian, was a guest on Arsenio Hall’s talk show.  He shook Hall’s hand in one of those funky hand shakes and spoke directly to the audience about the need for Brothers and Browns to get along the way the two of them visibly got along.  He and Hall pitched peace and unity to Blacks and Browns.  The country needs to create a private sector “BB Alliance,” the Black/Brown Alliance or the Brown/Black Alliance, and introduce positive role models into the ghettoes and barrios.

Tavis Smiley and Ray Suarez, both with public broadcasting, could inaugurate the endeavor.  Each could then spin off and team up with another person from a different enterprise or walk of life and spread the message.

(See the “e-ssay” dated February 18, 2008 entitled “Brown Is The New Black.”)

[This project requires some initiative, tenacity and luck.  Tavis Smiley and Ray Suarez must respond and deliver.]

Bumper sticker of the week:

Black can stay around;

Brown can stay around.