dagblog - Comments for "Defeat The Press"

"The reality is that this is

Richard Day — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:56:14 +0000

"The reality is that this is not a whistleblowing case. There are no heroes here, and the press in this instance was not protecting individuals trying to expose government malfeasance."

This is cheap but I like this song

There's also an issue with

Michael Maiello — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:07:27 +0000

In reply to In the arena of "big issues"

There's also an issue with the way careers work. In the less highlighted way that I practiced journalism, good researches and writers were promoted from researcher (fact checker) to writer, but over time good writers became... well, either editors or personalities. It's very difficult to maintain a rising standard of living as a writer. You almost get kicked upstairs to a job that demands totally different talents. Which is why we all liked going on TV so much, and blogging and all of that -- building the personality seemed an alternative.

Cooper, though... well, he never exactly had to work for a living in the first place. A distinct advantage.

In the arena of "big issues"

Elusive Trope — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:52:12 +0000

In reply to Is Anderson Cooper even

In the arena of "big issues" there is nothing that is distinctly anything. Just a lot of shades of gray. or to put it another way, context is everything. a prime example is the defense of battered wife syndrome, which I wholly support. the trauma and consequences of abuse, whether as a spouse, child, or stranger to someone else have to be taken into consideration when the question of intent et al. is considered.

The problem with context is that for most of it, it is just a hazy impression upon which we generally don't spend much time reflecting. If out of the corner of my eye I see Cooper being a 'personality,' then some blurb on the news about him being investigated just isn't going to raise some red flag.

[I think Cooper is not one to go out looking for the big story, but isn't to walk away from it if it plops in lap - e.g. Katrina. Now that he is more visible as a personality on the afternoon circut, but also connected to CNN, it is more likely some whistleblower might pick him to come out.]

Is Anderson Cooper even

Michael Maiello — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:39:28 +0000

In reply to One could argue that it is

Is Anderson Cooper even really a "journalist" though? I suppose he is, sometimes. But not on his afternoon talk show, where he is distinctly a "personality."

Though, maybe I'm saying that incorrectly. Maybe nobody these days is distinctly anything, and that's both a blessing and a curse. It will be a major problem for some people, though, in a world of black and white law.

One could argue that it is

Elusive Trope — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:49:05 +0000

In reply to Thing is, we've always been

One could argue that it is the fact that the news media overall has become less ideological and more capitalistic, i.e. it has chosen to give more priority to the entertainment facet of their business rather than the journalistic (and, thus, ideological) facet of the business. Although the worshipping of the bottom line and quarterly reports is a kind of ideology.

My current project has me working a good part of the time where there are television sets turned on during the afternoon. Walking past them and watching Anderson Cooper on his new afternoon talk show makes it hard for me to see him as some kind of journalist in need of special protections.

Thing is, we've always been

Michael Maiello — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:00:10 +0000

In reply to I think the press is viewed

Thing is, we've always been in an era of ideological media. There was never a golden age of balance (which doesn't always lead to truth anyway because the truth is unbalanced) or objectivity (which is psychologically impossible). There have always been agendas.

Jack's great. But,

Michael Maiello — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:56:47 +0000

In reply to I do agree with you for the

Jack's great. But, remember... We don't want the freedoms of the press to be determined solely by how competent reporters are at the cloak and dagger stuff. What we really want is for the government to protect the press by exercising restraint in the service of longer term goals.

I think the press is viewed

rmrd0000 — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:28:41 +0000

In reply to Defeat The Press

I think the press is viewed as being mere stenographers for Conservatives.ABC lied about having the full emails of the Benghazi emails. The press cases the IRS story as a scandal. When the AP whines, nobody is left to listen. The Rosen story may have outed a North Korean source and the AP may have ruined the ability to prevent certain types of attacks by Al Qaeda.

The best solution is a better media shield law. Reporters would be protected.Leakers of information would face stiff legal penalties. Leakers would have less concern about their contact with the press being revealed. The press will always go after things government doesn't want made public.

In an era of corporate and sometimes politically biased media, I don't think the press can assume that it will be praised when it reveals information, especially when national security is at issue

I do agree with you for the

tmccarthy0 — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:02:02 +0000

In reply to Defeat The Press

I do agree with you for the most part Mike. However, if Jack Shafer's column for Reuters' is true, well "Rosen isn't really very good at this investigative secret stuff!