Not exactly what David Brooks said, but close. Another edition of Shields and brooks that gets to the heart of what really counts in the bizarre and sometimes very off-base stories that the media chooses to cover.
Personally, I prefer the days before trending "Twits" determined a news organization's focus and people like Ben Bradlee insisted on quality journalism, even if it took awhile.
Although Shields and Brooks don't mention it, I have a real problem when "Twit readers" demand that Brian Williams, the 'talking head' that reads/introduces the 22 minutes of news every night be 'credible', far beyond any of the people (mostly anonymous) whose barely literate Twits they eagerly consume around the clock.
Anyway, back to another excellent discussion between Shields and Brooks:
Showing posts with label Journalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journalism. Show all posts
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Sunday, June 22, 2014
The Mystique of War
This insightful TED Talk by Sebastian Junger, a journalist who has covered many war zones is well worth watching. This is why our politicians need to stop sending our young people off to far corners of the world on ill-designed quests for the politician's satisfaction of some abstract ideology, and then assuming that everything is going to be just fine and there will be no after-effects from the experience.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
More Than Meets the Press
If you believe (as I do) that there is a certain dirty or slimy feel to certain aspects of the ridiculous wars of the George II dynasty (err, I mean administration) then you might want to watch the Oscar-nominated "Dirty Wars".
Here is an interview with one of the principals of the film and what they saw and endured to get this story. Not only is there an undercurrent of dishonesty, but an implication at least that these practices are being carried forward to the future.
(Note also the sense of journalistic integrity -- they did not run with everything they knew or felt strongly was true, but only what they had convincing proof for -- take that Internet gossip sites (and FoxNews of course) !).
Here is an interview with one of the principals of the film and what they saw and endured to get this story. Not only is there an undercurrent of dishonesty, but an implication at least that these practices are being carried forward to the future.
(Note also the sense of journalistic integrity -- they did not run with everything they knew or felt strongly was true, but only what they had convincing proof for -- take that Internet gossip sites (and FoxNews of course) !).
Saturday, February 22, 2014
The Real F-35 Story
The 60 Minutes report that I posted about unfortunately turned out to be a disappointing fluff piece, interviewing only proponents of the program from the Pentagon and elsewhere. There was a minimal amount of tsk-tsking and hand wringing about "gee we know it costs a lot" (but it isn't my money.....so send some more...).
60 Minutes journalistic quality has slipped in several areas in the last few years, and I no longer trust them as much as I once did. However, I had hoped with a program so deeply flawed and based on such ridiculous assumptions from the outset as the F-35 they would do better.
Fortunately the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) stepped into the breach. This article is an interview with Winslow Wheeler, director of POGO's Straus Military Reform Project which is full of interesting and insightful analysis into that tax-dollar cesspool we call the Pentagon.
He mentions a website that is dedicated to tracking the F-35 abomination and hopefully spurring people to do something about it.
Both the POGO page and the website have this video, but it is important enough that I am posting it here as well.
My only regret is that I did not coin "The Jet That Ate the Pentagon", but then again with the prevailing attitude in Washington DC of "just keep pouring money onto it" where the Pentagon is concerned it may not be possible for any program to actually "eat the Pentagon".
60 Minutes journalistic quality has slipped in several areas in the last few years, and I no longer trust them as much as I once did. However, I had hoped with a program so deeply flawed and based on such ridiculous assumptions from the outset as the F-35 they would do better.
Fortunately the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) stepped into the breach. This article is an interview with Winslow Wheeler, director of POGO's Straus Military Reform Project which is full of interesting and insightful analysis into that tax-dollar cesspool we call the Pentagon.
He mentions a website that is dedicated to tracking the F-35 abomination and hopefully spurring people to do something about it.
Both the POGO page and the website have this video, but it is important enough that I am posting it here as well.
My only regret is that I did not coin "The Jet That Ate the Pentagon", but then again with the prevailing attitude in Washington DC of "just keep pouring money onto it" where the Pentagon is concerned it may not be possible for any program to actually "eat the Pentagon".
Thursday, February 20, 2014
This is What Quality Journalism Is
In the world of young tight-and-short-skirted, blond bimbos passing themselves off as "experts", much less journalists, and the plethora of "gossip news" sites which are free to indulge in fiction at any time, it is nice to know that there are at least a few bastions of true journalistic integrity left.
One that I rely on for hard-hitting Watergate-era style investigations backed up by impeccable research and facts is the Center for Public Integrity which was recently awarded the prestigious Polk Award for their work to prove that most of the culprits in the recent (and ongoing) financial crisis triggered by the brain dead Bush administration got off unscathed and are ready to reenter the fray. Their site is linked on the list of trusted resources at the right.
One that I rely on for hard-hitting Watergate-era style investigations backed up by impeccable research and facts is the Center for Public Integrity which was recently awarded the prestigious Polk Award for their work to prove that most of the culprits in the recent (and ongoing) financial crisis triggered by the brain dead Bush administration got off unscathed and are ready to reenter the fray. Their site is linked on the list of trusted resources at the right.
Monday, December 16, 2013
The Internet Thinks We Are Stupid...and Illiterate
And it is really starting to p*ss me off!
Have you noticed the increasing ratio of news stories that seem to come in "video only" form?
First of all...this is offensive as h*ll to me. It seems the publishers of said news items don't think I am capable of reading it on my own (I have a beyond-college vocabulary and comprehension, so I don't need some almost-literate bimbo to read it to me....at least not for another thirty years or so I hope!).
Add to that the fact that said video is always 1) preceded by some brain dead advertising aimed at the sixth graders in the audience; and that 2) the "reader" when they finally get around to it either misses or just ignores some very salient facts; 3) or adds a lot of fluff to the story that has no value at all.
It has gotten to the point where if I click on what appears to be a news link and it pops up a video...I just kill it immediately. I hope we are not becoming such a stupid nation of "feed me your version of the news" that this becomes a normal delivery mechanism.
Have you noticed the increasing ratio of news stories that seem to come in "video only" form?
First of all...this is offensive as h*ll to me. It seems the publishers of said news items don't think I am capable of reading it on my own (I have a beyond-college vocabulary and comprehension, so I don't need some almost-literate bimbo to read it to me....at least not for another thirty years or so I hope!).
Add to that the fact that said video is always 1) preceded by some brain dead advertising aimed at the sixth graders in the audience; and that 2) the "reader" when they finally get around to it either misses or just ignores some very salient facts; 3) or adds a lot of fluff to the story that has no value at all.
It has gotten to the point where if I click on what appears to be a news link and it pops up a video...I just kill it immediately. I hope we are not becoming such a stupid nation of "feed me your version of the news" that this becomes a normal delivery mechanism.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Kudos to the LA Times
Finally, a respectable news organization is calling an end to the climate-change denier bunk that is published not only in letters to the editor, but all over the Internet (always 'anonymously' of course) as "comments" whenever climate change is mentioned.
If you haven't been following the science (or just paying attention to the mindless drivel of cable news channels) you might not know that there is no real controversy left among actual practicing scientists that have knowledge of climatology....and you know that other science stuff.
Unlike the "impressive" list of "distinguished scientists" that Senator James Inhofe (Oklahoma) waved in front of a hearing. Hmm...seems to be a lot of Doctorates on here...of English, Philosophy, Mathematics....and oh yes, a bunch of TV "weather personalities" we will say to be kind.
The LA Times recently declared:
Saying "there's no sign humans have caused climate change" is not stating an opinion, it's asserting a factual inaccuracy.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-climate-change-letters-20131008,0,871615.story#ixzz2lQn2ukyp
If you haven't been following the science (or just paying attention to the mindless drivel of cable news channels) you might not know that there is no real controversy left among actual practicing scientists that have knowledge of climatology....and you know that other science stuff.
Unlike the "impressive" list of "distinguished scientists" that Senator James Inhofe (Oklahoma) waved in front of a hearing. Hmm...seems to be a lot of Doctorates on here...of English, Philosophy, Mathematics....and oh yes, a bunch of TV "weather personalities" we will say to be kind.
The LA Times recently declared:
Saying "there's no sign humans have caused climate change" is not stating an opinion, it's asserting a factual inaccuracy.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-climate-change-letters-20131008,0,871615.story#ixzz2lQn2ukyp
Thursday, October 24, 2013
PBS on Colbert?
The anchors at PBS NewsHour (which I regularly depend upon and is linked to the right) had the opportunity to promote their brand of news (the old-fashioned kind that is actually information) on the Colbert Report recently and I think acquitted themselves quite well.
If you enjoy being a thinker, there is no other comparable source of 'visual' news on TV today, unless your local PBS station also broadcasts the BBC News, which is also excellent and informative, but a bit more world-centered (as it should be).
So the BBC for world news, these women for US (and world) news, and now Hari Sreenivasan has a 'half hour' PBS NewsHour on Saturday and Sundays. Unlike the screeching heads news channels, they realize that most of the rest of the world is still functioning on our weekends.
If you enjoy being a thinker, there is no other comparable source of 'visual' news on TV today, unless your local PBS station also broadcasts the BBC News, which is also excellent and informative, but a bit more world-centered (as it should be).
So the BBC for world news, these women for US (and world) news, and now Hari Sreenivasan has a 'half hour' PBS NewsHour on Saturday and Sundays. Unlike the screeching heads news channels, they realize that most of the rest of the world is still functioning on our weekends.
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