Remember when Obama could control the media with brilliant speeches and eloquently put his message on point to the American people without getting caught up in ridiculous pettiness like being a socialist? I guess that honeymoon's over.
Although, counter-point: death panels.
-30-
Really strong points from the Harvard Crimson on Obama's stalling at getting the message out on health care reform
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Shine on you Crazy Diamond
During last year's election cycle, MSNBC struck television gold with the pairing of Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. Not separately, mind you, as the unchecked egos of each on their own shows generally stalled things to a halt and made both Hardball and Countdown unwatchable a lot of the time.
But when sitting on the same set, there was definite tension between the uber-serious Olbermann and, well, let's say lunatic Matthews. The show never gave much political insight, the whole thing was a game where both men knew their roles. But it was entertaining, and despite the tense lead up to the election, that quality was in short supply.
That magic combination of pure mania and delusion isn't hit often, cable news really is that boring, but I think that's now changed with Fox News' Glenn Beck.
His craziness is well documented, and I'm sure he's proud of it in a martyrdom sense. I remember watching his show on CNN Headline News a few years back and thinking, not unlike all the other shows on that channel, that it was kinda dumb. In about a year, Beck has completely tapped into the conservative outrage as seen in the health care debate and everything Obama does.
I happened to be watching last night (clip below) and caught one of the craziest things I've ever seen. There are many shots between Fox/MSNBC during the commentary shows on both channels, which makes sense, being competitors, but this is ridiculous.
To think, fake populist rage is the reason we aren't getting a public option on the health care bill. It's a real disappointment, to be honest.
-30-
These are some of the biggest leaps I've ever seen.
But when sitting on the same set, there was definite tension between the uber-serious Olbermann and, well, let's say lunatic Matthews. The show never gave much political insight, the whole thing was a game where both men knew their roles. But it was entertaining, and despite the tense lead up to the election, that quality was in short supply.
That magic combination of pure mania and delusion isn't hit often, cable news really is that boring, but I think that's now changed with Fox News' Glenn Beck.
His craziness is well documented, and I'm sure he's proud of it in a martyrdom sense. I remember watching his show on CNN Headline News a few years back and thinking, not unlike all the other shows on that channel, that it was kinda dumb. In about a year, Beck has completely tapped into the conservative outrage as seen in the health care debate and everything Obama does.
I happened to be watching last night (clip below) and caught one of the craziest things I've ever seen. There are many shots between Fox/MSNBC during the commentary shows on both channels, which makes sense, being competitors, but this is ridiculous.
To think, fake populist rage is the reason we aren't getting a public option on the health care bill. It's a real disappointment, to be honest.
-30-
These are some of the biggest leaps I've ever seen.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Way down in the hole
I managed to finally sit down and watch all of The Wire this summer - I've seen a few episodes before, but nothing made any sense out of order - and enjoyed that it devoted a full season to the plight of newspapers, specifically the Baltimore Sun.
Maybe the whole theme of the Sun's fall was a bit dramatic, but it was a strong season. Truthfully, I kind of doubt journalists are that interesting, but it was good TV. One episode even included a quote that I'm sure rings true across the country.
--
"You know what a healthy newsroom is? It's a magical place where people argue about everything all the time!"
--
Exactly. I know for a fact that whenever I'm no longer employed in this industry I'll miss that part the most.
There was also, however, this quote in the final episode.
--
"As I look back over a misspent life, I find myself more and more convinced that I had more fun doing news reporting than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings."
--
It's a nice thought when the job weighs a bit too heavy, and I like to think there's still a bit of truth to it. Although the man who said it, H. L. Mencken, died in 1956, at a time when they probably were kings. What happened?
-30-
Can't deny it had a perfect first scene and intro music.
Maybe the whole theme of the Sun's fall was a bit dramatic, but it was a strong season. Truthfully, I kind of doubt journalists are that interesting, but it was good TV. One episode even included a quote that I'm sure rings true across the country.
--
"You know what a healthy newsroom is? It's a magical place where people argue about everything all the time!"
--
Exactly. I know for a fact that whenever I'm no longer employed in this industry I'll miss that part the most.
There was also, however, this quote in the final episode.
--
"As I look back over a misspent life, I find myself more and more convinced that I had more fun doing news reporting than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings."
--
It's a nice thought when the job weighs a bit too heavy, and I like to think there's still a bit of truth to it. Although the man who said it, H. L. Mencken, died in 1956, at a time when they probably were kings. What happened?
-30-
Can't deny it had a perfect first scene and intro music.
Perry Farrell
Whenever I tell someone I'm a journalism major, I'm often reminded that there is still some time left to change my major. It's pretty discouraging, but I like to think my degree isn't the most useless of diplomas from a four-year school. That is a daily struggle with art history majors.
But the constant message in journalism is that of multimedia. Journalists are supposed to be proficient at getting a story online well before final deadline for print, and supplement it with video of the scene, audio of a few interviews and a less-than-objective blog update detailing what the event was really like. Balance that with another similar story due that day and an investigative piece that demands attention and nothing gets done well.
It'd be nice if we could all take a breath. Average journalism isn't hard to do, it's probably why the pay is so low, but the good stuff takes time. When newspapers post clunky videos from a shaky handheld camera over a bad connection of what happened that day, is it really worth it to the reader? A few hundred more page views is always nice to tout, but that's time the reporter could spend probing further. I'd imagine most readers still get their news while at work, a time when it isn't really practical to turn on the speakers and watch a video of local news.
I'm far from against new media, my personal goal has always been to work internships in different mediums to find some sort of well-rounded view of journalism, but this shift away from telling the most detailed and interesting story we can is depressing. If it brings in more advertising, I say kudos for finding an outlet. Overall though, it just seems counter-productive to what we're trying to do.
-30-
I was pretty stumped on what to link to this time, so here, enjoy this classic again.
But the constant message in journalism is that of multimedia. Journalists are supposed to be proficient at getting a story online well before final deadline for print, and supplement it with video of the scene, audio of a few interviews and a less-than-objective blog update detailing what the event was really like. Balance that with another similar story due that day and an investigative piece that demands attention and nothing gets done well.
It'd be nice if we could all take a breath. Average journalism isn't hard to do, it's probably why the pay is so low, but the good stuff takes time. When newspapers post clunky videos from a shaky handheld camera over a bad connection of what happened that day, is it really worth it to the reader? A few hundred more page views is always nice to tout, but that's time the reporter could spend probing further. I'd imagine most readers still get their news while at work, a time when it isn't really practical to turn on the speakers and watch a video of local news.
I'm far from against new media, my personal goal has always been to work internships in different mediums to find some sort of well-rounded view of journalism, but this shift away from telling the most detailed and interesting story we can is depressing. If it brings in more advertising, I say kudos for finding an outlet. Overall though, it just seems counter-productive to what we're trying to do.
-30-
I was pretty stumped on what to link to this time, so here, enjoy this classic again.
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