Archive for the ‘media’ Category

Off the record. Personal honor vs public responsibility and David Brooks

Posted: October 16, 2010 by datechguy in media
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One of the things that I’ve learned since I’ve gotten involved in this business is what the words “off the record” means.

People will tell you things “on background” or “without attribution” meaning that you can use them as long as it is attributed to “a source said” type of thing or as general background information.

“Off the record” is something more blunt. This means you accept information on the condition that you pledge your personal word and honor not to reveal it.

Now if you can get that information from another source that’s different but once you have agreed to “off the record” one’s personal honor and one is obliged to keep that word. That was David Brooks dilemma.

In such a situation he is ethically obliged not to talk (or as Stacy McCain says never burn a source) so I don’t fault him for that…

…BUT it would be interesting to see what his columns about the president looked like after the fact. Did he seem less supportive? Did he give the words of the administration less credence and more doubt? One can’t come out and say “This guy is lying to your face and he told me so!” but you can change the direction of your coverage from admiration to skepticism without breaking your word.

One has an obligation to protect ones source but also to inform the public. Social schedule not withstanding if your priority is to be honorable, you have to find a way to do both.

NPR woke me with that line

Posted: October 16, 2010 by datechguy in internet/free speech, media
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You know how when you wake up you’re kinda groggy. I woke up today exactly that way and took a peek at a few headlines kinda half asleep scanning a story or two. Then I read the end of this post concerning media outlets banning employees from the Stewart rally where a lady named Emily Bell of Columbia University commented thus about NPR:

She also noted that the case with NPR is different because it is partially publicly funded, which means that it is held to a higher standard to not appear biased.

“NPR has the right approach because they are in the business of serving the public,” She said. “I think it is perfectly consistent to require a higher standard of impartiality.”

There is nothing like a good shock to wake a person totally up. Nobody except a person involved in the liberal academia could have suggested that NPR holds itself to a “higher standard impartiality.”

All that being said I’d let them all go if they want to. I think that way when people read the story they can be aware of the bias of the author and can give that bias as much or as little weight as they think it deserves. No restriction but full disclosure.

A unreal news show’s unreal rally to promote an unreality

Posted: October 15, 2010 by datechguy in elections, fun, internet/free speech, media, opinion/news, politics, special events, tea parties
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Just so everyone understands, there the John Stewart rally exists for two different purposes. One of which has already been achieved.

For Comedy Central, it is PR and even if only two drunks show up they have managed to get the ratings and promoting they want. Comedy Central has achieved its goal.

For the left, it is different, over and over the left has tried to ignore, silence, dismiss and destroy the tea party to no effect. Finally they tried to outdraw them, but the Sharpton and the One Nation rallies were spectacular failures.

So they have gone all in to achieve the goal. What goal? As as One Nation. The goal here is to paint democrats as energized and engaged and ready to vote and to get the MEDIA to report this.

Let’s make one thing clear. Stewart rally Keg Party is going to be very well attended (Oprah, Arianna and comedy central paying for the trip isn’t going to hurt either. I don’t know if they will outdraw Beck, (or if they will pick up their trash, but I suspect Stewart is not stupid enough to let his crowd trash the mall.)

It is NOT going to be an indication of democratic strength or purpose. It is going to be about a bunch of people getting to see their favorite comics and have a fun time (Think Dan’s Bake sale except Rush didn’t pay for people to go).

The Mainstream media WILL paint it as a sign that democrats are energized and will talk about nothing else on Monday, with the goal of actually energizing the unenergized voters. When Joe Scarborough decided that One Nation wasn’t worth talking about since “He was watching football” I guarantee you Morning Joe have time to comment on it and guest after guest from the left media will be talking about how it is a game-changer.

The goal will be to make it a game changer. It will fail.

Update: Sissy Willis on the subject

Update 2: Doug Powers comments at Michelle’s

Huffington and Winfrey are spending a lot of cash to ship people to the rally — people who wouldn’t have attended unless somebody gave them a free ride. As far as I’m concerned, Arianna and Oprah’s money is helping make an ironic point for the right.

Exactly.

Bad news for the “Loud Liberal”

Posted: October 11, 2010 by datechguy in elections, media, opinion/news, politics, tea parties
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I’ve been having an ongoing debate in twitter with a fellow from my district named LoudLiberal about republicans chances in Massachusetts in general and Bill Gunn’s chances in ma-1 in particular.

He’s a nice guy but I think he would not enjoy Stacy McCain’s post about the Frank/Bielat debate on WRKO:

It was blindingly obvious that the 4th District’s Democratic incumbent is not accustomed to defending himself or his record. Barney repeatedly filibustered, responding to simple questions with meandering stream-of-thought rambles that might have continued ad infinitum if no one had stopped him.

Then again Stacy is a known conservative republican it’s not like the Glove is reporting that democrats are in trouble…oh wait:

Solomon, one of many manifestations of an energized GOP electorate this year, illustrates the political zeal Massachusetts Democrats are up against as they try to hold back a Republican Party determined to make major gains on Election Day. What Democrats lack in enthusiasm, they’re trying to make up for in organization.

It gets worse:

Through vast suburban swaths, independents turned out in much larger numbers to vote Republican, while Democratic turnout in the big cities fell way below the statewide average.

In Haverhill, Leominster, Marlborough, Melrose, Methuen, and Waltham — six nominally Democratic cities that can swing Republican in competitive elections and tilted to Brown in the January special election — independents took more Republican ballots in September than Democratic, often by large margins.

If things are going so bad that the Globe feels the need to report it then Democrats be afraid, be very afraid.

And Republicans, take Roxeanne’s advice and keep working hard.

Update: It gets worse, even the NYT won’t back up the dems on the chamber of commerce attacks.

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