Is the Rose Parade more fun than the First Amendment?
Falun Gong practitioners and assorted human rights activists plan to protest tomorrow's Rose Parade over the inclusion of a Chinese-themed float celebrating the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
They don't like that China sometimes tortures and kills its dissidents.
Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard claims protesters have unfairly singled out the float (and him) for their ire given the complex nature of international relations.
The float, which shows a cuddlier, cuter side of China, will be seen on television sets around the globe - including TVs in China, thanks to recent deals made by parade organizers.
But don't worry, Pasadena Police Chief Bernard Melekian promises politics won't spoil the fun.
“There are a lot of groups who think that this is their moment to get on television. That's simply not going to happen," he told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "I hate to see something that is a fun, family event that's turning 119 years old go this way. It was never intended to be political theater. But there are people who seem to want to turn it into that.”
Better not let the White Coats catch you exercising your conscience.
Here's what Melekian told the Pasadena Star-News earlier this month: "The only people who have First Amendment rights along the route are the Tournament of Roses."
I guess habeas corpus must be Latin for hibiscus.
But can we really blame Bogaard and Melekian? They are caught up defending a tradition that's built on illusion. The Rose Parade started out as pure boosterism - a rolling advertisement for bountiful Southern California draped in flowers and punctuated by marching bands. It hasn't changed much.
Indeed, I think it's a perfect vehicle for a totalitarian government looking to put its best face forward - nevermind the torture, look at these cute characters!
And it's also ripe for political theater.
Something for everyone.
Dec 31, 2007
Dec 30, 2007
Our credit culture
Too often, I see stories treat the subprime mortgage meltdown as an isolated event that resulted from otherwise responsible banks and lenders making a series of bad decisions and breaking seemingly arcane rules.
From my perspective, the meltdown has more to do with a decades-long shift in our economic culture from one in which middle-class worth was based in ownership to one in which worth is based on paper. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of families have entered the middle class through credit card debt, car loans and mortgages, not through real earnings.
We've stubbornly held onto our lifestyles by putting off our bills. That's true on a micro and a macro scale. And we all know we were doing it.
Now the Los Angeles Times presages another potential meltdown, this time in the automobile sector. Shockingly, those loans for giant, expensive SUVs came with some loaded terms.
Common sense should have told us that people were buying cars they couldn't really afford. After all, wages were depressed, unions and manufacturing jobs disappearing, employment largely stagnant. The collapse in the automobile lending market was probably staved off because so many people folded this debt into their subprime mortgages.
Too often, I see stories treat the subprime mortgage meltdown as an isolated event that resulted from otherwise responsible banks and lenders making a series of bad decisions and breaking seemingly arcane rules.
From my perspective, the meltdown has more to do with a decades-long shift in our economic culture from one in which middle-class worth was based in ownership to one in which worth is based on paper. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of families have entered the middle class through credit card debt, car loans and mortgages, not through real earnings.
We've stubbornly held onto our lifestyles by putting off our bills. That's true on a micro and a macro scale. And we all know we were doing it.
Now the Los Angeles Times presages another potential meltdown, this time in the automobile sector. Shockingly, those loans for giant, expensive SUVs came with some loaded terms.
Common sense should have told us that people were buying cars they couldn't really afford. After all, wages were depressed, unions and manufacturing jobs disappearing, employment largely stagnant. The collapse in the automobile lending market was probably staved off because so many people folded this debt into their subprime mortgages.
Edwards decides he wants to win
Dan Balz of the Washington Post sees a tougher, more determined John Edwards emerging in Iowa. I don't know if this is desperation or inspiration, but it's welcome. I've been amazed at the lack of passion from candidates on all sides.
Here's a snippet of the "new" Edwards: The rich have an "iron-fisted grip" on democracy and won't let go through negotiations. "Anybody who suggests that we don't have an epic fight on our hands is living in Never-Never Land," he says.
The Never-Never Land reference aside, I think this kind of populism will work in the caucuses. Careful consideration only helps if you're banking on your name to get you a win. Still, I wonder how Edwards' passion will fare after New Hampshire?
Dan Balz of the Washington Post sees a tougher, more determined John Edwards emerging in Iowa. I don't know if this is desperation or inspiration, but it's welcome. I've been amazed at the lack of passion from candidates on all sides.
Here's a snippet of the "new" Edwards: The rich have an "iron-fisted grip" on democracy and won't let go through negotiations. "Anybody who suggests that we don't have an epic fight on our hands is living in Never-Never Land," he says.
The Never-Never Land reference aside, I think this kind of populism will work in the caucuses. Careful consideration only helps if you're banking on your name to get you a win. Still, I wonder how Edwards' passion will fare after New Hampshire?
State senator carjacked
The Los Angeles Times reporter covering the carjacking of California Senator Don Perata must be thanking the Lord for Lt. Lawrence Green.
"The car is kind of sporty for a senator," said Oakland Police Lt. Lawrence Green. "When the captain called and described it, I said, 'We're talking about the suspect's car or the senator's car?' "
Perata, also known as the Don for his mafioso suits, drives (drove) a Dodge Charger.
Dec 29, 2007
The worldwide web
If you laughed when pasadenanow.com proposed outsourcing as a way to get cheap reporters (as though American reporters aren't paid cheaply enough), maybe you shouldn't have: The Miami Herald is outsourcing some of its advertising production work to India, the newspaper's editor said Thursday.
If you laughed when pasadenanow.com proposed outsourcing as a way to get cheap reporters (as though American reporters aren't paid cheaply enough), maybe you shouldn't have: The Miami Herald is outsourcing some of its advertising production work to India, the newspaper's editor said Thursday.
Romney or bust
Mitt Romney makes a final push to take down surging Mike Huckabee before Thursday's Iowa caucuses.
I have to ask, are these really the issues the issues conservatives care about?: Romney's new Iowa ad accuses Huckabee of being at the helm of a big-spending government in Arkansas, providing college benefits to the children of illegal immigrants and issuing more than 1,000 pardons and commutations as governor. The ad also quotes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying Huckabee's criticisms of President Bush's foreign policy were "ludicrous."
Big spending in Arkansas?! The too-compassionate conservative?
Mitt Romney makes a final push to take down surging Mike Huckabee before Thursday's Iowa caucuses.
I have to ask, are these really the issues the issues conservatives care about?: Romney's new Iowa ad accuses Huckabee of being at the helm of a big-spending government in Arkansas, providing college benefits to the children of illegal immigrants and issuing more than 1,000 pardons and commutations as governor. The ad also quotes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying Huckabee's criticisms of President Bush's foreign policy were "ludicrous."
Big spending in Arkansas?! The too-compassionate conservative?
The assassination of Benazir Bhutto
A slideshow of the fatal attack narrated by Getty Images photographer John Moore.
A slideshow of the fatal attack narrated by Getty Images photographer John Moore.
Dec 28, 2007
George W. Huckabee*
Remember when George W. Bush couldn't name the the leaders of several key foreign nations, including a certain general who had recently taken control of Pakistan? It seemed like the kind of gaffe that would throw Bush out of contention for the Republican nomination. It didn't.
Comes now Mike Huckabee, who seems to know just as little about the world around him as Bush did, and is just as confident about asserting major policy proposals based in ignorance.
Indeed, Huckabee's reaction to yesterday's assassination of Benazir Bhutto was to propose building a fence along the Mexican border. Why? Because of all the angry Pakistanis coming into our country via Mexico. How many you ask? According to Huckabee, 660 were caught "last year." Where'd he get that number? First he said from the CIA. Then he said from a story in the Denver Post.
According to the Post, 660 illegal Pakistanis were caught between 2002 and 2005.
I'm sure if he can find a vice-presidential nominee with strong foreign policy credentials that everything will go swimmingly.
*From Politico.com: On Friday morning, Huckabee listed former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton as someone with whom he either has “spoken or will continue to speak.”
See, nothing to worry about.
Jeff Jarvis loves/hates cliques
Social networking. Citizen journalism. Web 2.0. BuzzMachine is abuzz with buzz words.
A common theme in Jarvis' many posts is the power of the Internet to undo social orders he does not like and to give rise to new ones. Generally, he promotes an ostensibly democratic approach (that of the linked social network), but seems to gloss over the exclusionary, vindictive and lowest-common-denominator principles that often result from clique behavior.
What's cool in the future is what's successful (on the Internet) he tells us here: ...the lesson I prefer to take away is that the successful media brands of the future will be the ones that are owned and loved and promoted by their users (formerly known as their audience).
He's even excited about the future of air travel in the age of connectedness.
Jarvis has finally found a clique that embraces him and that he can embrace - indeed, that seems a major goal of Internet users these days. But he forgets about human nature and, sometimes, about being human.
He is right to think that the social order of today will be reorganized. But he has a tendency to believe the tools themselves will create a better society. I'm doubtful. Unless we commit ourselves to some higher principles, the new society will look a lot like the old one, only with the social pressures we suffered in high school finding new life in online.
A common theme in Jarvis' many posts is the power of the Internet to undo social orders he does not like and to give rise to new ones. Generally, he promotes an ostensibly democratic approach (that of the linked social network), but seems to gloss over the exclusionary, vindictive and lowest-common-denominator principles that often result from clique behavior.
What's cool in the future is what's successful (on the Internet) he tells us here: ...the lesson I prefer to take away is that the successful media brands of the future will be the ones that are owned and loved and promoted by their users (formerly known as their audience).
He's even excited about the future of air travel in the age of connectedness.
Jarvis has finally found a clique that embraces him and that he can embrace - indeed, that seems a major goal of Internet users these days. But he forgets about human nature and, sometimes, about being human.
He is right to think that the social order of today will be reorganized. But he has a tendency to believe the tools themselves will create a better society. I'm doubtful. Unless we commit ourselves to some higher principles, the new society will look a lot like the old one, only with the social pressures we suffered in high school finding new life in online.
Fearful in Seattle
The publisher of the Seattle Times prepares the way for newsroom cuts, blaming lower revenues in 2007.
The Times is co-owned by McLatchy, which has had a horrible year financially.
I suspect there's a phoenix somewhere in these various ash heaps, but it may slumber yet.
The publisher of the Seattle Times prepares the way for newsroom cuts, blaming lower revenues in 2007.
The Times is co-owned by McLatchy, which has had a horrible year financially.
I suspect there's a phoenix somewhere in these various ash heaps, but it may slumber yet.
Dec 27, 2007
Stinking badges
Recently, the California attorney general held that a county sheriff could be held liable for issuing badges to civilians that too closely resemble the hardware carried by sworn peace officers.
This prompted a few of the cities that had issued realistic-looking badges to their city council members to rethink their policies - however, rethinking is not the same as reversing, as the San Gabriel Valley Tribune points out.
The central question reporters never seem to ask (Trib included) is why council members need badges in the first place?
Let me hazard a guess: Police like for council members feel a part of their exclusive club. It creates the kind of kinship that can be useful when contract negotiations come up.
On the other side, council members like to feel they are somehow above the laws they pass. Plus, an "official" badge is a handy thing to have when you get pulled over for weaving down Main Street.
Maybe the Trib will do a follow-up and ask the council members directly why they find it so hard to gives up their toys.
Recently, the California attorney general held that a county sheriff could be held liable for issuing badges to civilians that too closely resemble the hardware carried by sworn peace officers.
This prompted a few of the cities that had issued realistic-looking badges to their city council members to rethink their policies - however, rethinking is not the same as reversing, as the San Gabriel Valley Tribune points out.
The central question reporters never seem to ask (Trib included) is why council members need badges in the first place?
Let me hazard a guess: Police like for council members feel a part of their exclusive club. It creates the kind of kinship that can be useful when contract negotiations come up.
On the other side, council members like to feel they are somehow above the laws they pass. Plus, an "official" badge is a handy thing to have when you get pulled over for weaving down Main Street.
Maybe the Trib will do a follow-up and ask the council members directly why they find it so hard to gives up their toys.
The Fourth Estate yard sale
Teen journalists at a private school in Santa Monica say news stories should be given away for free online, and they trust the corporations they despise to come up with a way to make money off it.
Their responses to questions posed by David Lazarus of the Los Angeles Times exhibit a disconnectedness peculiar to our culture. They want to make a living as journalists one day, but they support a business model that puts that living at risk: "Information should be free," declared Corey, 18, echoing a sentiment I encounter a lot online, particularly among bloggers, who feel a perverse sense of entitlement to other people's work.
Does this make them short-sighted? No, it just makes them American.
Teen journalists at a private school in Santa Monica say news stories should be given away for free online, and they trust the corporations they despise to come up with a way to make money off it.
Their responses to questions posed by David Lazarus of the Los Angeles Times exhibit a disconnectedness peculiar to our culture. They want to make a living as journalists one day, but they support a business model that puts that living at risk: "Information should be free," declared Corey, 18, echoing a sentiment I encounter a lot online, particularly among bloggers, who feel a perverse sense of entitlement to other people's work.
Does this make them short-sighted? No, it just makes them American.
Bhutto dead after attack
The assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto doesn't come as much of a surprise.
From the New York Times: Witnesses said Ms. Bhutto, who was appearing at a political campaign rally, was fired upon at close range by a gunman, and then struck by shrapnel from a blast that the government said was caused by a suicide bomber.
Dec 26, 2007
How to lose a lot of money in 4 to 8 weeks
The New York Film Academy has teamed with NBC News to shake down the naive and idealistic.
Get 4 weeks of digital journalism instruction for the low price of $4,000; get another 4 weeks for an additional $1,800.
The full digital training course will run you $34,000, with classes starting in March 2008. Tuition includes a speech by MSNBC's Lester Holt.
As with all the best schools, they're advertising on a billboard in Hollywood.
The New York Film Academy has teamed with NBC News to shake down the naive and idealistic.
Get 4 weeks of digital journalism instruction for the low price of $4,000; get another 4 weeks for an additional $1,800.
The full digital training course will run you $34,000, with classes starting in March 2008. Tuition includes a speech by MSNBC's Lester Holt.
As with all the best schools, they're advertising on a billboard in Hollywood.
Dec 22, 2007
Radical
J. Edgar Hoover loved freedom. Just not yours.
Newly declassified documents show the former FBI director wanted permission from the president to put 12,000 suspected radicals behind bars indefinitely. To protect our cherished way of life, dearly fought for, all Truman had to do was suspend habeas corpus, he argued.
Thank God we left that kind of paranoia in the 1950s, eh?
Someone ought to dig up Hoover's body and toss it into a Dumpster.
Dec 21, 2007
Discipline
The Washington Post portrays the Obama campaign as organized and disciplined in this Iowa snapshot.
If the campaign has figured out how to carryover this same level of commitment - and lack of zealotry - to N.H. and South Carolina, he just might have a chance.
The Washington Post portrays the Obama campaign as organized and disciplined in this Iowa snapshot.
If the campaign has figured out how to carryover this same level of commitment - and lack of zealotry - to N.H. and South Carolina, he just might have a chance.
The Jefferson gambit
Prosecutors have run into a legal roadblock in their investigation of unnamed members of Congress. According to the Sacramento Bee, an appeals court ruled that prosecutors cannot search areas where legislative records might be found without prior approval from the legislator, who just might have a reason to say no.
The Department of Justice warns that active investigations could hit a brick wall if it can't follow the paper trails and so has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling.
The lower court came to the decision after a search of House records held by Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana, who has been indicted on bribery charges. The Bee confirms that a probe into California Rep. John Doolittle's ties to Jack Abramoff could be stymied.
I wonder who else might be on the list?
Prosecutors have run into a legal roadblock in their investigation of unnamed members of Congress. According to the Sacramento Bee, an appeals court ruled that prosecutors cannot search areas where legislative records might be found without prior approval from the legislator, who just might have a reason to say no.
The Department of Justice warns that active investigations could hit a brick wall if it can't follow the paper trails and so has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling.
The lower court came to the decision after a search of House records held by Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana, who has been indicted on bribery charges. The Bee confirms that a probe into California Rep. John Doolittle's ties to Jack Abramoff could be stymied.
I wonder who else might be on the list?
Hello, Sam
A snippet from today's Baltimore Sun story chronicling Sam Zell's takeover of Tribune:
Zell pledged to give local managers more control, in contrast to Tribune's centralized management style.
I wonder what this will mean for David Hiller and Jim O'Shea at the Los Angeles Times. Of course, pledging isn't the same as doing.
Dec 20, 2007
So long, Tom
The National Journal reports that Tom Tancredo has dropped out of the Republican presidential primary contest.
That's too bad. The Colorado Congressman embodies the ugliest instincts of the GOP. He is a monster and his being around reminded the others, especially John McCain, to try to act human.
Tancredo throws his margin-of-error support to Mitt Romney, the NJ reports.
Second take
The Newspaper Guild wants editorial employees at the Contra Costa Times to form a union. According to this article, guild members in California generally make less than their competitors, they rarely receive meaningful raises, their reps have done almost nothing to prevent staff cuts (unless they're able to sacrifice reporters in sister newsrooms), their reps seem powerless to prevent job reprisals and the group's claim to fame is convincing reporters at the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minneapolis to assist the advertising department.
That's some pitch.
I'm well aware of the fact that Singleton has depressed newsroom wages (a starting reporter at the Vacaville Reporter makes between $12 and $13 an hour) and that organizing can provide some benefits. But why form a union to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic?
If you want to do good journalism and get paid a decent wage for it, get out. Or organize to change the Singleton business model. Otherwise, all your negotiating will only get you a better spot on the assembly line.
The Newspaper Guild wants editorial employees at the Contra Costa Times to form a union. According to this article, guild members in California generally make less than their competitors, they rarely receive meaningful raises, their reps have done almost nothing to prevent staff cuts (unless they're able to sacrifice reporters in sister newsrooms), their reps seem powerless to prevent job reprisals and the group's claim to fame is convincing reporters at the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minneapolis to assist the advertising department.
That's some pitch.
I'm well aware of the fact that Singleton has depressed newsroom wages (a starting reporter at the Vacaville Reporter makes between $12 and $13 an hour) and that organizing can provide some benefits. But why form a union to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic?
If you want to do good journalism and get paid a decent wage for it, get out. Or organize to change the Singleton business model. Otherwise, all your negotiating will only get you a better spot on the assembly line.
Lawsuit, as promised
Fresh from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's press office: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced his intention to file a lawsuit in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to challenge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) denial of California's tailpipe emissions waiver request. The lawsuit will be filed as soon as possible, which is expected to be within the next three weeks.
You can bet Attorney General Jerry Brown is sending out a similar press release.
The gov's canned quote: "We will sue to overturn this ruling as quickly as possible. I have no doubt that we will prevail because the law, science and the public's demand for leadership are on our side. Anything less than aggressive action is inexcusable."
All together now
The Newspaper Guild plans to spend $500,000 to organize a union at the Contra Costa Times. It's a response to the union-busting ways of owner Dean Singleton, who merged news desks at his Bay Area papers to break the union at the Oakland Tribune.
It's not clear to me what unions have done to help reporters at the Singleton papers where they exist. From my standpoint, they misunderstand as well as anyone the challenges facing newsrooms and the Singleton business model. These misunderstandings threaten to bring about bad collective bargaining agreements.
Here's the success anecdote: A veteran reporter at the Hayward Daily Review collapses from all of the extra work she has to do and takes two weeks sick time to recover. When she returns, she's reassigned to a rookie beat. Two union employees show up at her house and offer to help.
Punchline: The guild was not able to get her regular beat back, but (the reporter) says she was able to retrieve her self-respect.
The Newspaper Guild plans to spend $500,000 to organize a union at the Contra Costa Times. It's a response to the union-busting ways of owner Dean Singleton, who merged news desks at his Bay Area papers to break the union at the Oakland Tribune.
It's not clear to me what unions have done to help reporters at the Singleton papers where they exist. From my standpoint, they misunderstand as well as anyone the challenges facing newsrooms and the Singleton business model. These misunderstandings threaten to bring about bad collective bargaining agreements.
Here's the success anecdote: A veteran reporter at the Hayward Daily Review collapses from all of the extra work she has to do and takes two weeks sick time to recover. When she returns, she's reassigned to a rookie beat. Two union employees show up at her house and offer to help.
Punchline: The guild was not able to get her regular beat back, but (the reporter) says she was able to retrieve her self-respect.
Dec 19, 2007
Clearing the air
Are the EPA and the auto industry sharing a press office? Consider the language used today by EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson in denying California and 16* other states the right to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobile tailpipes: “The Bush administration is moving forward with a clear national solution, not a confusing patchwork of state rules."
Here's what David McCurdy, CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers had to say back in November: "It is the view of the Alliance that enhancing energy security and improving fuel economy are priorities to all Americans, but a patchwork quilt of regulations at the state level is not the answer."
Here's what McCurdy told a House energy subcommittee in June: "The United States needs a consistent policy that avoid the marketplace chaos that would surely arise from a patchwork quilt of conflicting state fuel economy/carbon dioxide mandates."
Here's what Stephen Douglas, environmental affairs director for the Alliance, said in May: "[A] patchwork of state-level fuel economy regulations as is now proposed by California is not just unnecessary but actually counter-productive."
That's some patchwork.
*I last counted 15 states, but the NYT says 16. I defer to the people who are still reporting the issue.
Are the EPA and the auto industry sharing a press office? Consider the language used today by EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson in denying California and 16* other states the right to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobile tailpipes: “The Bush administration is moving forward with a clear national solution, not a confusing patchwork of state rules."
Here's what David McCurdy, CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers had to say back in November: "It is the view of the Alliance that enhancing energy security and improving fuel economy are priorities to all Americans, but a patchwork quilt of regulations at the state level is not the answer."
Here's what McCurdy told a House energy subcommittee in June: "The United States needs a consistent policy that avoid the marketplace chaos that would surely arise from a patchwork quilt of conflicting state fuel economy/carbon dioxide mandates."
Here's what Stephen Douglas, environmental affairs director for the Alliance, said in May: "[A] patchwork of state-level fuel economy regulations as is now proposed by California is not just unnecessary but actually counter-productive."
That's some patchwork.
*I last counted 15 states, but the NYT says 16. I defer to the people who are still reporting the issue.
Man shoots dog
A Blackwater guard shot and killed the New York Times' dog in Iraq
Oh, and Time's person of the year: Vladimir Putin
A Blackwater guard shot and killed the New York Times' dog in Iraq
Oh, and Time's person of the year: Vladimir Putin
Roundup
The unknowable Hillary Clinton
Crack-ed justice
The police can police themselves.
Rudy Giuliani's Kerik-ter question
The unknowable Hillary Clinton
Crack-ed justice
The police can police themselves.
Rudy Giuliani's Kerik-ter question
States' rights (unless they're wrong)
The US EPA has rejected California's request for a waiver to enforce a law set to take effect in 2009 that would require substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emission from cars and trucks sold in the state. This decision leaves the law in limbo for now - 15 other states have or are expected to adopt the same regulations.
Two federal courts have ruled that the the states are within their right to enforce such a law, provided the EPA granted the waiver, and the US Supreme Court has ruled that carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas targeted by the law, is a type of pollution that must be regulated under the Clean Air Act.
Rest assured, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown will look for a chance to sue.
It will be interesting to see how the presidential hopefuls react to the news, especially the Republicans, who have used the states' rights argument when explaining their opposition to abortion (as in, the individual states should decide whether abortion is legal).
The US EPA has rejected California's request for a waiver to enforce a law set to take effect in 2009 that would require substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emission from cars and trucks sold in the state. This decision leaves the law in limbo for now - 15 other states have or are expected to adopt the same regulations.
Two federal courts have ruled that the the states are within their right to enforce such a law, provided the EPA granted the waiver, and the US Supreme Court has ruled that carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas targeted by the law, is a type of pollution that must be regulated under the Clean Air Act.
Rest assured, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown will look for a chance to sue.
It will be interesting to see how the presidential hopefuls react to the news, especially the Republicans, who have used the states' rights argument when explaining their opposition to abortion (as in, the individual states should decide whether abortion is legal).
Two pictures (second act)*
Having mined through several hundred of the 900+ comments following the first story about the two Roger Fenton photographs of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I move on to part two, which gives a longer account of the Crimean War as well as some surprising findings about the orientation of the Fenton's tripod (he faced north, not south).
Is this a case of distraction journalism? Perhaps.
Now, on to part three... Seems like he answers the question without answering the question. There's an indication that gravity was involved in the solution, but maybe I'm missing a link... Indeed I am. NYT f-ed up. Here's the REAL part three.
Uh-oh, some strange facts are emerging. More to come.
*So we get an answer, using empirical proof found in the two photographs. I'm left feeling that I knew the answers (and others did, too) but without the need of this empirical proof. The prof is only needed if the answer must withstand a certain type of scrutiny, the exact type of scrutiny Errol Morris demanded. He concludes:
I tried hard to prove that Keller and Sontag were wrong – to prove that ON came before OFF. I failed. I can’t deny it. But I did prove that they were right for the wrong reasons. It is not their assessment of Fenton’s character or lack of character that establishes the order of the pictures. Nor is it sun-angle and shadow. Rather it is the motion of ancillary rocks – rocks that had been kicked, nudged, displaced between the taking of one picture and the other.
Perhaps their argument for 'why' they though as they did wasn't as sound, but were they clearly wrong in their assessment?
Having mined through several hundred of the 900+ comments following the first story about the two Roger Fenton photographs of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I move on to part two, which gives a longer account of the Crimean War as well as some surprising findings about the orientation of the Fenton's tripod (he faced north, not south).
Is this a case of distraction journalism? Perhaps.
Now, on to part three... Seems like he answers the question without answering the question. There's an indication that gravity was involved in the solution, but maybe I'm missing a link... Indeed I am. NYT f-ed up. Here's the REAL part three.
Uh-oh, some strange facts are emerging. More to come.
*So we get an answer, using empirical proof found in the two photographs. I'm left feeling that I knew the answers (and others did, too) but without the need of this empirical proof. The prof is only needed if the answer must withstand a certain type of scrutiny, the exact type of scrutiny Errol Morris demanded. He concludes:
I tried hard to prove that Keller and Sontag were wrong – to prove that ON came before OFF. I failed. I can’t deny it. But I did prove that they were right for the wrong reasons. It is not their assessment of Fenton’s character or lack of character that establishes the order of the pictures. Nor is it sun-angle and shadow. Rather it is the motion of ancillary rocks – rocks that had been kicked, nudged, displaced between the taking of one picture and the other.
Perhaps their argument for 'why' they though as they did wasn't as sound, but were they clearly wrong in their assessment?
Two pictures, thousands of words*, **, ***, ****
Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris makes fascinating use of the Internet in a project over at the New York Times, asking readers to help cut through the psychological suppositions to get at an unanswerable answer.
The question has to do with cannon balls on a road (and not on a road) in two famous photographs from the Crimean War. Is one of the photographs staged? If so, which one?
I've only read the first of three stories so far. Asterisks to come.
*In reading through the first hundred or so comments on Morris' first story, a pattern emerges: Most of the readers think a simple examination of data within the frames will provide an easy answer. They discount motivations and psychological factors that could easily change the interpretation of their facts. Then there are a few comments scattered among the others from readers who wonder why the question needs to be answered at all.
**Oh, I forgot to mention the more studious readers who keep asking for better quality photographs to examine. As if higher resolution will bring a resolution.
***As the day moves on, later commentators (those who sleep in are less empirically minded?) start to look at motivations and come back to theory. The odd grouping of the cannon balls on the road, the fact that they could have been brought in from somewhere else, that light and shadow in 150-year-old photographs isn't a reliable measure, that other "facts" are based on assumptions... Again, fascinating stuff.
****My own questions: Why take a second photograph if he was not looking for improvement? Why not mention in your letter (you have to read the article) what happened during the gap between the two photographs, especially if it was something significant like A. a new volley of cannon balls or B. soldiers out harvesting in a dangerous place? Which is the better picture/the one he favored? Couldn't he have carried additional balls out to the field in his photographer's van? (I guess he staged the cannon ball shot in the road) OK, enough asterisks. I'll create a new post for the second article.
Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris makes fascinating use of the Internet in a project over at the New York Times, asking readers to help cut through the psychological suppositions to get at an unanswerable answer.
The question has to do with cannon balls on a road (and not on a road) in two famous photographs from the Crimean War. Is one of the photographs staged? If so, which one?
I've only read the first of three stories so far. Asterisks to come.
*In reading through the first hundred or so comments on Morris' first story, a pattern emerges: Most of the readers think a simple examination of data within the frames will provide an easy answer. They discount motivations and psychological factors that could easily change the interpretation of their facts. Then there are a few comments scattered among the others from readers who wonder why the question needs to be answered at all.
**Oh, I forgot to mention the more studious readers who keep asking for better quality photographs to examine. As if higher resolution will bring a resolution.
***As the day moves on, later commentators (those who sleep in are less empirically minded?) start to look at motivations and come back to theory. The odd grouping of the cannon balls on the road, the fact that they could have been brought in from somewhere else, that light and shadow in 150-year-old photographs isn't a reliable measure, that other "facts" are based on assumptions... Again, fascinating stuff.
****My own questions: Why take a second photograph if he was not looking for improvement? Why not mention in your letter (you have to read the article) what happened during the gap between the two photographs, especially if it was something significant like A. a new volley of cannon balls or B. soldiers out harvesting in a dangerous place? Which is the better picture/the one he favored? Couldn't he have carried additional balls out to the field in his photographer's van? (I guess he staged the cannon ball shot in the road) OK, enough asterisks. I'll create a new post for the second article.
Dec 18, 2007
A liberal with soul
Democrats have been searching for a savior since 2000, when their best hope to continue the Clinton legacy got beat by a man they strongly suspected was mildly retarded.
David Brooks makes a semi-convincing case in today's New York Times that the Democrats need look no further than Barack Obama: In the course of this struggle to discover who he is, Obama clearly learned from the strain of pessimistic optimism that stretches back from Martin Luther King Jr. to Abraham Lincoln. This is a worldview that detests anger as a motivating force, that distrusts easy dichotomies between the parties of good and evil, believing instead that the crucial dichotomy runs between the good and bad within each individual.
This is a long and elegant way of saying Obama has the constancy of character that will allow him to stand up to any Republican espousing core values or faith-based principles.
Perhaps Brooks is right. After all, who better to carry the torch of liberalism than a black man who has lived the prejudices the white liberal elite can only talk about? Maybe Obama would be liberalism's greatest legacy.
Besides, he's young and this country has overly concentrated its wealth and power in the hands of the old. Obama is a turning of the page.
Not sure whether the Dems in Iowa and New Hampshire will see it this way. After 2004, they may be averse to the kind of risk taking they need to embrace to throw a real challenge the GOP's way.
Statistics rarely sell
John Edwards, the Hallway Monitor of the Democratic Field, has released statistics his campaign says show he can put more right-leaning states into play than his Democratic rivals in a general election, thereby making him the better choice of the three front-runners.
The argument is meant to assure undecideds and independents that a vote for Edwards isn't a wasted vote.
My guess is the real strategy is to assure campaign donors that a dollar spent on the Edwards campaign isn't a wasted dollar, since voters are rarely moved by such thinly sliced data.
Edwards is going to have to come up with a better closing argument at this point in his campaign. He's burdened with having been part of a losing ticket and having left the Senate at a time when he could have had a meaningful role in important policy decisions. He needs a little Biden in him.
He also needs to step outside of the lines. At this point, why take a chance on yet another "safe" choice when you've already got Hillary making that case all across America?
Perks of the profession
One perk of becoming a professional journalist at a small- or medium-size paper is that you get to work longer than eight hours a day and more than 40 hours a week without getting overtime pay (much of the time). It's an unwritten rule of the trade, with the bosses usually offering compensatory time for the overtime worked. But if your job demands you work more than 40 hours a week already, it's tough to find the time to take off - especially when you're trying to make an impact so you get on with a better paper.
Most reporters accept the low pay and long hours as another part of paying their dues. Half of the job is about getting good experience and clips to move on to better things. But as papers continue to squeeze salaries and cut positions, as larger papers continue to shrink and as newsroom self-loathing increases, I have to wonder whether this wink-and-a-nod arrangement will fall apart. After all, why agree to take comp time you're never going to use if you see no light at the end of the tunnel?
This is a long lead-in to this story in The Times Leader in Pennsylvania. Looks like a disgruntled former employee at a competing paper called the feds about alleged overtime abuses. I doubt anything will come of the inquiry, as this isn't an administration that seems to excited about enforcing labor standards.
(Incidentally, I once asked a class action lawyer why no one ever went after newspapers for such abuses. He told me lawyers only go after companies with money.)
One perk of becoming a professional journalist at a small- or medium-size paper is that you get to work longer than eight hours a day and more than 40 hours a week without getting overtime pay (much of the time). It's an unwritten rule of the trade, with the bosses usually offering compensatory time for the overtime worked. But if your job demands you work more than 40 hours a week already, it's tough to find the time to take off - especially when you're trying to make an impact so you get on with a better paper.
Most reporters accept the low pay and long hours as another part of paying their dues. Half of the job is about getting good experience and clips to move on to better things. But as papers continue to squeeze salaries and cut positions, as larger papers continue to shrink and as newsroom self-loathing increases, I have to wonder whether this wink-and-a-nod arrangement will fall apart. After all, why agree to take comp time you're never going to use if you see no light at the end of the tunnel?
This is a long lead-in to this story in The Times Leader in Pennsylvania. Looks like a disgruntled former employee at a competing paper called the feds about alleged overtime abuses. I doubt anything will come of the inquiry, as this isn't an administration that seems to excited about enforcing labor standards.
(Incidentally, I once asked a class action lawyer why no one ever went after newspapers for such abuses. He told me lawyers only go after companies with money.)
Dec 17, 2007
Dec 16, 2007
God's chad is hanging for Huckabee
Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas (that's the Natural State), has the national media abuzz, which has helped push him farther up the polls that the national media keeps citing to point out how he's moving up in the polls... past Mitt the Mormon, closing fast (if not outpacing) Rudy Giuliani.
According to the Washington Post, home-schoolers, the do-it-yourselfers of education, have become an unofficial field organization for Huckabee. We know they're passionate.
Whether they can turn out the vote come Election Day, Huckabee is shaking his dark horse status at precisely the right time. Few people (especially Christians) are going to become embittered over the holidays, meaning he won't really be tested before the Jan. 3 caucus in Iowa.
And if he carries Iowa and takes first or second in New Hampshire he's almost certain to prevail in South Carolina. Romney will collapse and it will be a two man race to the West Coast with Giuliani.
Can Barak Obama find some of that same surging magic from the day-time couch potatoes? I doubt it. He isn't coming from behind, he's regaining lost ground. Unlike Huckabee, Obama was deemed a front runner at the start.
Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas (that's the Natural State), has the national media abuzz, which has helped push him farther up the polls that the national media keeps citing to point out how he's moving up in the polls... past Mitt the Mormon, closing fast (if not outpacing) Rudy Giuliani.
According to the Washington Post, home-schoolers, the do-it-yourselfers of education, have become an unofficial field organization for Huckabee. We know they're passionate.
Whether they can turn out the vote come Election Day, Huckabee is shaking his dark horse status at precisely the right time. Few people (especially Christians) are going to become embittered over the holidays, meaning he won't really be tested before the Jan. 3 caucus in Iowa.
And if he carries Iowa and takes first or second in New Hampshire he's almost certain to prevail in South Carolina. Romney will collapse and it will be a two man race to the West Coast with Giuliani.
Can Barak Obama find some of that same surging magic from the day-time couch potatoes? I doubt it. He isn't coming from behind, he's regaining lost ground. Unlike Huckabee, Obama was deemed a front runner at the start.
Dec 14, 2007
Budget action star
The Sacramento Bee reports that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will declare a "fiscal emergency" next week, which will allow him to fast-track mid-year budget cuts to close an anticipated budget deficit of between $10 billion and $14 billion.
This is the first time Schwarzenegger has made such a declaration since voters passed Proposition 58 in 2004.
The Sacramento Bee reports that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will declare a "fiscal emergency" next week, which will allow him to fast-track mid-year budget cuts to close an anticipated budget deficit of between $10 billion and $14 billion.
This is the first time Schwarzenegger has made such a declaration since voters passed Proposition 58 in 2004.
Speaking of names
The New York Times has the names, pictures and stats of all the baseball players the Mitchell report identified as having used performance-enhancing drugs. See if your favorites are in the clear or on the clear.
The New York Times has the names, pictures and stats of all the baseball players the Mitchell report identified as having used performance-enhancing drugs. See if your favorites are in the clear or on the clear.
Dec 13, 2007
The unpublishing industry
It is troubling to see the San Bernardino Sun get twist itself in knots after publishing what is pretty straightforward information about county worker salaries.
The paper - after what I assume was some amount of deliberation - decided to publish all of the salaries alongside all of the employees' names. The decision came in the wake of a California Supreme Court ruling that finally did away with a silly union argument that salary information is private.
County employees complained, as expected.
But instead of holding its ground, the Sun decided to unpublish the names. The editor's rationale includes the following: We typically do not publish the names of sex crime victims. We often refrain from identifying crime witnesses, and are cautious about identifying someone as a suicide victim.
Yes, rape victims, suicides and gang targets get special consideration. That has nothing to do with this.
T0 the editor's larger point that the paper can and should exercise discretion about what it publishes: It should have exercised that discretion beforehand. The outcry was predictable. So what changed?
Indeed, the move looks like a response to pressure from a special interest group, and that's a bad precedent for the paper and a poor substitution for news judgment.
It is troubling to see the San Bernardino Sun get twist itself in knots after publishing what is pretty straightforward information about county worker salaries.
The paper - after what I assume was some amount of deliberation - decided to publish all of the salaries alongside all of the employees' names. The decision came in the wake of a California Supreme Court ruling that finally did away with a silly union argument that salary information is private.
County employees complained, as expected.
But instead of holding its ground, the Sun decided to unpublish the names. The editor's rationale includes the following: We typically do not publish the names of sex crime victims. We often refrain from identifying crime witnesses, and are cautious about identifying someone as a suicide victim.
Yes, rape victims, suicides and gang targets get special consideration. That has nothing to do with this.
T0 the editor's larger point that the paper can and should exercise discretion about what it publishes: It should have exercised that discretion beforehand. The outcry was predictable. So what changed?
Indeed, the move looks like a response to pressure from a special interest group, and that's a bad precedent for the paper and a poor substitution for news judgment.
Swollen head blues
Nothing in the Mitchell report on steroid abuse in Major League Baseball comes as a surprise (well, except that Sammy Sosa wasn't included).
One has only to compare the pictures of today's baseball players to those of a few decades ago to know the sport is rife with anabolic steroids and growth hormone. I don't know many people whose heads keep getting larger during their 20s without it, and I don't think pitching curve balls causes Cro-Magnon jaw.
According to AP, there's an All-Star at every position on the list. If only the Fantasy Baseballers had known this when choosing their rosters!
Mommy, there are monsters in the outfield.
In debt we trust*
Good news for Republicans: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be asking for a 10 percent across-the-board spending cut to close a yawning budget gap predicted by his financial advisers.
The Democrats, having put off tough choices year after year, will now have to decide whether they want to push for higher spending in an election year (which will fail because of the Republican minority), shift more expenses to bonds (which will make them look as bad as Schwarzenegger did in 2005), or negotiate for a smaller but still substantial cut in services (which will make all of their proposals for new programs, including health care, look financially risky).
Whatever they do, redistricting will keep them safely in their seats.
However, they will have a harder time attracting votes for the Democratic term-limit initiative if they get into a protracted budget battle.
Schwarzenegger predicts a $14 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year, while the Legislative Analyst's Office predicts $9.8 billion. The Dems will latch on to the smaller of the two numbers, but it's still a chunk of money.
I hear cities and counties are bracing for another raid.
*The Sacramento Bee says Senate Pro Tem Don Perata has put health care reform on the back-burner. That seems an odd negotiating tactic to me.
Good news for Republicans: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be asking for a 10 percent across-the-board spending cut to close a yawning budget gap predicted by his financial advisers.
The Democrats, having put off tough choices year after year, will now have to decide whether they want to push for higher spending in an election year (which will fail because of the Republican minority), shift more expenses to bonds (which will make them look as bad as Schwarzenegger did in 2005), or negotiate for a smaller but still substantial cut in services (which will make all of their proposals for new programs, including health care, look financially risky).
Whatever they do, redistricting will keep them safely in their seats.
However, they will have a harder time attracting votes for the Democratic term-limit initiative if they get into a protracted budget battle.
Schwarzenegger predicts a $14 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year, while the Legislative Analyst's Office predicts $9.8 billion. The Dems will latch on to the smaller of the two numbers, but it's still a chunk of money.
I hear cities and counties are bracing for another raid.
*The Sacramento Bee says Senate Pro Tem Don Perata has put health care reform on the back-burner. That seems an odd negotiating tactic to me.
Crime and punishment
Prisoners are being held too long in California's already overburdened penal system.
President Bush is quick to war, slow to pardon.
The Washington Post gets weirdly speculative about white-collar criminals.
Mike Huckabee says Democrats misled him into endorsing the parole of a rapist who later murdered.
Prisoners are being held too long in California's already overburdened penal system.
President Bush is quick to war, slow to pardon.
The Washington Post gets weirdly speculative about white-collar criminals.
Mike Huckabee says Democrats misled him into endorsing the parole of a rapist who later murdered.
Dec 12, 2007
Inside the outside game
Reporters used to struggle to get inside the halls of power to give readers an inside view on what goes down. Then the halls of power woke up one day and realized that they could do better by getting themselves inside the newsroom.
Newsrooms, no longer willing to divorce themselves from influence and weakened by panic over profit, saw a chance to make money and build a brand. After all, the people we write about must have something going for them if we're writing about them. So why not cut out the middle man?
Hamilton Nolan at PRWeek (remember when PR was the kiss of death for a journalist because of our old-fashioned ethics?) says the cross-breeding has created a monster than sucks resources from real reporting and gives news organizations the bias label they used to run from.
Still, the fact remains that the practice, on a macro level, is an unhealthy one. First, the more it happens, the more the public will associate news outlets with condoning partisanship.
Second, because in this era of nearly universal newsroom layoffs, the money could be better spent on real reporting.
And finally, because no amount of public assurances can guarantee that a "contributor" - particularly one who comes directly from a political communications operation - will ever do anything but spout talking points designed to reinforce their own political party.
His ultimate point: Why not simply interview the Chris Matthews of the world if you want their opinion? Instead we hire them to interview James Carville and Robert Novak and pretend we're watching inside baseball.
The outlaws are dead.
Caught with their standards down
I missed The New Republic's retraction earlier this month of the Baghdad Diarist stories. From a quick perusal, most of the 546 comments on the page come from conservatives who think the retraction proves the liberal media has a liberal bias. Neither enlightening nor surprising.
The problem is the retraction itself, which isn't so much a retraction as much as a last defense before hitting a dead end.
Jack Shafer at Slate.com says the lesson is that mistakes like this will happen in an effort to mine good journalism from promising young writers. Undoubtedly. But TNR made its first mistake by granting a single person anonymity and then giving him such a long a shelf life. In the end, the Diarist is disgraced, the magazine tarnished and the truth lost in an old left vs. right argument about bias, conspiracy and war.
Shafer ends with an honor roll of once novice journalists who were given a chance and climbed to the top of the profession. It's a relatively small group and has nothing to do with the Baghdad Diarist, as far as I can see. Indeed, what it told me is how few people are allowed into the hallowed club (TNR editor Franklin Foer being one) and reminded me of the other conservative claim about elitism in the ranks of journalists.
Maybe the lessons should be about casting a wider net for talent, avoiding anonymity when asking for the reader's trust and bringing new blood to dilute the incestuousness in our prime publications.
I missed The New Republic's retraction earlier this month of the Baghdad Diarist stories. From a quick perusal, most of the 546 comments on the page come from conservatives who think the retraction proves the liberal media has a liberal bias. Neither enlightening nor surprising.
The problem is the retraction itself, which isn't so much a retraction as much as a last defense before hitting a dead end.
Jack Shafer at Slate.com says the lesson is that mistakes like this will happen in an effort to mine good journalism from promising young writers. Undoubtedly. But TNR made its first mistake by granting a single person anonymity and then giving him such a long a shelf life. In the end, the Diarist is disgraced, the magazine tarnished and the truth lost in an old left vs. right argument about bias, conspiracy and war.
Shafer ends with an honor roll of once novice journalists who were given a chance and climbed to the top of the profession. It's a relatively small group and has nothing to do with the Baghdad Diarist, as far as I can see. Indeed, what it told me is how few people are allowed into the hallowed club (TNR editor Franklin Foer being one) and reminded me of the other conservative claim about elitism in the ranks of journalists.
Maybe the lessons should be about casting a wider net for talent, avoiding anonymity when asking for the reader's trust and bringing new blood to dilute the incestuousness in our prime publications.
Stolen words, borrowed ideas
Regrettheerror.com has its year-end wrap up of newsroom plagiarism and fabrication posted here. (What happened in June?)
Plagiarism is a filthy business. One of the last stories I broke at the Star-News was about Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Percy Clark plagiarizing a parable from a Unitarian minister for an opinion piece he wrote in another newspaper. He said the parable was just so popular he didn't remember it wasn't his original work.
Imagine that excuse coming from one of his students... Clark didn't survive the year.
As a nascent blogger, I'm wary of borrowing on the ideas of others when writing posts. I don't mean stealing them outright. Rather, I sometimes find myself incorporating the opinions of others into my own views, especially when those opinions come from people I respect and admire, and when those opinions fill in gaps in my own thinking.
It's a passive process, this incorporation, and one I hadn't thought too much about when doing reporting. After all, borrowing good ideas from editors and other reporters is part of the job. But a good blog demands an original voice, and creative writing demands an additional layer of ethics.
Regrettheerror.com has its year-end wrap up of newsroom plagiarism and fabrication posted here. (What happened in June?)
Plagiarism is a filthy business. One of the last stories I broke at the Star-News was about Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Percy Clark plagiarizing a parable from a Unitarian minister for an opinion piece he wrote in another newspaper. He said the parable was just so popular he didn't remember it wasn't his original work.
Imagine that excuse coming from one of his students... Clark didn't survive the year.
As a nascent blogger, I'm wary of borrowing on the ideas of others when writing posts. I don't mean stealing them outright. Rather, I sometimes find myself incorporating the opinions of others into my own views, especially when those opinions come from people I respect and admire, and when those opinions fill in gaps in my own thinking.
It's a passive process, this incorporation, and one I hadn't thought too much about when doing reporting. After all, borrowing good ideas from editors and other reporters is part of the job. But a good blog demands an original voice, and creative writing demands an additional layer of ethics.
Dec 11, 2007
They heart Huckabee
All that praying must be paying off. Mike Huckabee continues his rise in the national polls, having already pushed ahead of Mitt Romney in Iowa, according to the Washington Post.
Rudy Giuliani still sits atop the field, but not because of any forward momentum. He's merely hanging on.
Before we declare Huckabee minister in chief, it would be smart to remember that politics is about a lot more than who people want to vote for; it's about who people with money want us to vote for. At this point, Romney has more cash and more Christian soldiers ready to drive senior citizens to the polls and Giuliani continues to ride high on the electability platform - although he looks to me about as electable as John Kerry.
It's an ugly horizon for the right-wing.
All that praying must be paying off. Mike Huckabee continues his rise in the national polls, having already pushed ahead of Mitt Romney in Iowa, according to the Washington Post.
Rudy Giuliani still sits atop the field, but not because of any forward momentum. He's merely hanging on.
Before we declare Huckabee minister in chief, it would be smart to remember that politics is about a lot more than who people want to vote for; it's about who people with money want us to vote for. At this point, Romney has more cash and more Christian soldiers ready to drive senior citizens to the polls and Giuliani continues to ride high on the electability platform - although he looks to me about as electable as John Kerry.
It's an ugly horizon for the right-wing.
Saying no to naysayers
Wall Street Journal reporters are reportedly as excited as all get-out about the coming Murdoch reign, at least according to Peter Osnos at the Century Foundation (via Romenesko). From the way Osnos describes it, the city desk is busy filling balloons while business is out buying plastic cups and a punchbowl.
Excitement, of course, is a generic word that conveys very little meaning. Prisoners get excited prior to their execution, soldiers get excited before a battle. But let's assume he means a positive excitement about the changes Murdoch plans to institute. I hope he improve the paper but I doubt that he will - not because his model is necessarily a bad one but because he demands fealty from a group of people who are supposed to show fealty to no one.
But then I'm a naysayer.
Which means that's one less place I need to send my resume. According to Osnos, there will be no room for naysayers at the new and improved WSJ. Apparently the days of skeptics, curmudgeons and troublemakers is over. The 21st century journalist is a team player who doesn't ask too many questions, frowns on rebelliousness and finds his way to yes even if he wants to say no.
Here's the summary from Osnos: Talking to reporters and editors at the Wall Street Journal, there is a sense of excitement about the coming changes. They recognize that Murdoch has come to play and will focus on the paper’s Web presence, the weekend paper, and high-profile coverage areas such as politics and exclusive business news. The message is that Murdoch’s plan for Dow Jones is clearly built on journalistic principles with a goal of making a great name more influential and more profitable. Naysayers inside will be jettisoned fast.
Maybe they should build a plank.
Dec 10, 2007
Cool water
ABC News has an exclusive interview with an ex-CIA agent who says waterboarding proved quite effective in the interrogation of detainee Abu Zubaida, breaking the al Qaeda leader in less than a minute's time.
The operative didn't take part in the boarding but says he saw the results. He says he's conflicted, thinks the technique worked but also thinks it's probably torture.
Well at least now we have a video tape to review.
ABC News has an exclusive interview with an ex-CIA agent who says waterboarding proved quite effective in the interrogation of detainee Abu Zubaida, breaking the al Qaeda leader in less than a minute's time.
The operative didn't take part in the boarding but says he saw the results. He says he's conflicted, thinks the technique worked but also thinks it's probably torture.
Well at least now we have a video tape to review.
Union busting
If you want to see how a union gets dismantled, keep your eye on this blog, put up by the guild representing editorial employees at the Long Beach Press-Telegram. The latest post is about stalled contract talks - I wouldn't expect them to get into gear anytime soon.
Indeed, it would seem Singleton plans to employ the strategy he used to end the union at the Oakland Tribune to end the union at the LBPT, and the LBPT blog is quite aware of this.
It reminds me a little of the scene near the end of Saving Private Ryan when one of the American soldiers begs a German soldier to stop before he pushes a knife into his chest.
If you want to see how a union gets dismantled, keep your eye on this blog, put up by the guild representing editorial employees at the Long Beach Press-Telegram. The latest post is about stalled contract talks - I wouldn't expect them to get into gear anytime soon.
Indeed, it would seem Singleton plans to employ the strategy he used to end the union at the Oakland Tribune to end the union at the LBPT, and the LBPT blog is quite aware of this.
It reminds me a little of the scene near the end of Saving Private Ryan when one of the American soldiers begs a German soldier to stop before he pushes a knife into his chest.
Is Jane Harman leaking?
Rep. Jane Harman, D-El Segundo, gets hammered for a second time for failing to figure out how to leak important information to the press. This time, it's about the terrorist interrogation tapes the CIA destroyed. Last time, it was about the existence of an NSA wiretapping program.
Perhaps Harman knows how to play the inside game and is bringing this criticism onto herself, using it like camouflage paint to hide all the tattling she's done to the New York Times. Your guess is as good as mine.
In the Daily Breeze story, she claims to have warned the CIA against destroying the tapes, but her reasons (and the letter) remain classified: “Too much is classified. But I signed an oath as a member of Congress, and an additional oath as a member of the Intelligence Committee, to abide by the law and I do,” Harman said. “This was a highly classified intelligence briefing. That was the deal. I could not talk to anyone and I didn’t.”
Dec 9, 2007
Corporations are people, too
Looks like the corporate set has found a way to appear vulnerable and human, while pushing bullshit lines like this one from a Dell blogger: Good corporate blogs force companies to look at things from a customer’s point of view.*
I know corporations just want to do the right thing and the Blog Council seems like a totally selfless attempt to promote the common good.
*(Quote comes via BuzzMachine)
Looks like the corporate set has found a way to appear vulnerable and human, while pushing bullshit lines like this one from a Dell blogger: Good corporate blogs force companies to look at things from a customer’s point of view.*
I know corporations just want to do the right thing and the Blog Council seems like a totally selfless attempt to promote the common good.
*(Quote comes via BuzzMachine)
Giuliani knows about sacrifice
Rudy Giuliani loves money more than good sense. Why else would the presumptive Republican front-runner maintain and then defend business ties and partnerships that make Mr. Sept. 11 look like an amoral greed head?
Also, he comes up with a novel defense as to why he missed meetings of the Iraq Study Group to give lucrative speeches: Mr. Giuliani said that it was not personal gain that compelled him to quit the group, a bipartisan commission tasked with assessing the situation in Iraq. Rather, he said, he feared that as he considered running for president, his political ambition could taint the findings of the commission.
That's believable. I mean, he didn't know about his ambition problem before accepting the job, but when he found about them he had the decency to play hooky for profit. It's what any patriot would do in his place.
Great Expectations, lowered
Frank Rich gives his take on the flagging Clinton and Giuliani campaigns, the desperation of Romney, and the rising tide of support for Huckabee and Obama.
As an occasional observer of this terribly drab primary, I agree with his argument that Huckabee and Obama seem to be benefiting from their less partisan approach. There might be an additional advantage in being labeled nice guys when the tsunami of early primary elections hits. Because voters don't have a lot to go on, feeling will come first.
I disagree, however, with his contention that this could be a replay of 1960. To me, not being around then, that election was about the supreme confidence of Kennedy promising to lead a country out of fearful times. I'm not sure that type of confidence exists in this crop of candidates. Maybe McCain had it at one time, but he's a beaten man. Edwards has turned into an annoying hall monitor. Huckabee and Obama seemed stuck at hope.
In fact, I think Romney's desperate statement of confidence will be the hallmark of this election.
Frank Rich gives his take on the flagging Clinton and Giuliani campaigns, the desperation of Romney, and the rising tide of support for Huckabee and Obama.
As an occasional observer of this terribly drab primary, I agree with his argument that Huckabee and Obama seem to be benefiting from their less partisan approach. There might be an additional advantage in being labeled nice guys when the tsunami of early primary elections hits. Because voters don't have a lot to go on, feeling will come first.
I disagree, however, with his contention that this could be a replay of 1960. To me, not being around then, that election was about the supreme confidence of Kennedy promising to lead a country out of fearful times. I'm not sure that type of confidence exists in this crop of candidates. Maybe McCain had it at one time, but he's a beaten man. Edwards has turned into an annoying hall monitor. Huckabee and Obama seemed stuck at hope.
In fact, I think Romney's desperate statement of confidence will be the hallmark of this election.
Environmental jihad
God only knows how the Islam-o-fascists pulled this one off, but disappearing Arctic ice has undermined some of our radar facilities to the north. Our military says it's nothing to worry about - yet.
God only knows how the Islam-o-fascists pulled this one off, but disappearing Arctic ice has undermined some of our radar facilities to the north. Our military says it's nothing to worry about - yet.
Dec 8, 2007
They brought Mary myrrh (Then again, your baby isn't Jesus)
Perhaps it's the tone of this article, but I find it disturbing that some mothers have come to expect rewards for giving birth. Between this and the godification of our politics, we're in fat trouble.
Perhaps it's the tone of this article, but I find it disturbing that some mothers have come to expect rewards for giving birth. Between this and the godification of our politics, we're in fat trouble.
The dancing monkey
The New York Times editorializes on the Mitt Romney come-to-Jesus speech, saying essentially what I said here, that his real purpose wasn't to reach out to people of all faiths, but to genuflect to the Christian evangelicals who consider Mormonism heretical.
He has found himself supplicating to those who he would lead and, in the process, assenting to the belief that candidates for president (and every other office) must pass a strict religious test to prove they are qualified.
Certainly Romney is not the first to fall victim to this fundamentalist philosophy. It has hijacked reason on both sides of the ballot.
But then what does reason have to do with it? As the NYT points out - as everyone points out when the founding fathers are cited as purveyors of Christian identity: The authors of the Constitution knew that requiring specific declarations of religious belief (like Mr. Romney saying he believes Jesus was the son of God) is a step toward imposing that belief on all Americans. That is why they wrote in Article VI that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
The New York Times editorializes on the Mitt Romney come-to-Jesus speech, saying essentially what I said here, that his real purpose wasn't to reach out to people of all faiths, but to genuflect to the Christian evangelicals who consider Mormonism heretical.
He has found himself supplicating to those who he would lead and, in the process, assenting to the belief that candidates for president (and every other office) must pass a strict religious test to prove they are qualified.
Certainly Romney is not the first to fall victim to this fundamentalist philosophy. It has hijacked reason on both sides of the ballot.
But then what does reason have to do with it? As the NYT points out - as everyone points out when the founding fathers are cited as purveyors of Christian identity: The authors of the Constitution knew that requiring specific declarations of religious belief (like Mr. Romney saying he believes Jesus was the son of God) is a step toward imposing that belief on all Americans. That is why they wrote in Article VI that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
Dec 7, 2007
Books and beer
Wow, three question mark headlines in a row. Must have been the beer.
Speaking of beer, I will need some before I have the wherewithal to read this book.
Wow, three question mark headlines in a row. Must have been the beer.
Speaking of beer, I will need some before I have the wherewithal to read this book.
Dec 6, 2007
What interrogation tape?
The CIA admits to destroying two interrogation tapes that might have caught agents using "harsh" tactics to rattle al Qaeda cages. The New York Times seems to have had the story first.
The Agency says it destroyed the tapes to ensure the safety of the interrogators. The tapes, after all, could have fallen into the wrong hands. You know, in the event they fell out of some one's jacket pocket or were accidentally dropped into the Blockbuster video return slot.
At this point everyone knows we waterboard the hell out of suspected terrorists, but I can see why we'd want to leave the act up to people's imaginations. A pyramid of naked Iraqis just doesn't stack up to our "harsh" techniques. Remember the pictures?
The CIA admits to destroying two interrogation tapes that might have caught agents using "harsh" tactics to rattle al Qaeda cages. The New York Times seems to have had the story first.
The Agency says it destroyed the tapes to ensure the safety of the interrogators. The tapes, after all, could have fallen into the wrong hands. You know, in the event they fell out of some one's jacket pocket or were accidentally dropped into the Blockbuster video return slot.
At this point everyone knows we waterboard the hell out of suspected terrorists, but I can see why we'd want to leave the act up to people's imaginations. A pyramid of naked Iraqis just doesn't stack up to our "harsh" techniques. Remember the pictures?
But will he dance at his inaugural?*
As anticipated, Mitt Romney tried to have his John Kennedy moment, delivering a 20-minute speech today at Texas A&M in which he pledged to represent Americans of every faith if he is fortunate enough to become president.
Don't worry, my Christian brothers, he won't win.
Lines like this one tell me he's desperate: Americans do not respect believers of convenience.
Unless it's convenient to do so... All I can think about each time I watch Romney speak is the crusty Republican man from New Hampshire who refused to shake his hand because he was Mormon.
Romney's stiff delivery did little to help his cause. Also, he didn't repeat that oft-quoted line from the JFK speech (also given in Texas) that he is an "American running for president, not a Catholic (Mormon) running for president."
Romney hit a single in what should have been his showcase moment. Better luck next time.
*Perhaps the reason Romney avoided a true transmogrification into Kennedy is that Kennedy, for good or ill, meant what he said. The purpose of Romney's speech wasn't to reach out broadly but to assuage the fears of a small but important segment of the voting public: the evangelical Christian. As a result, we have a man saying he'll represent everybody by promoting no particular faith at the same time he is assuring Christians he will promote faith and kick down the wall of separation he says has kept God out of public life.
Here's how Romney says it: “In recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America—the religion of secularism. They are wrong.”
Considering the point about faith Romney was purportedly making, he sure sounds like a believer of convenience to me.
A niche for everything
Who knew there was an online publication called paidContent.org? I discovered it while reading this article (via Romenesko) about AP's adaptations to the Internet.
Side note: It seems to me that AP is the only organization in a position to capably represent journalists in the digital age. Look to their deals to find out our future.
Who knew there was an online publication called paidContent.org? I discovered it while reading this article (via Romenesko) about AP's adaptations to the Internet.
Side note: It seems to me that AP is the only organization in a position to capably represent journalists in the digital age. Look to their deals to find out our future.
Dec 5, 2007
The bad apple
The SF Weekly has a story about an unpaid blogger doing work for the San Francisco Examiner who appears to be so passionate about getting out information that she doesn't bother to tell the reader where the information came from.
In lifting passages from a Sacramento Bee article about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's questionable trip expenses, the blogger, Sharon Gray, says: "I was just passionately trying to draw attention to something that was obviously bad for the people of California," she added, in reference to the secretive funding of Schwarzenegger's trips."
The Examiner's response? The online edition has lower standards for accuracy and attribution.
The Weekly doesn't whip Gray, but instead says her example should be an example for newspapers. As Robert Gunnison of UC Berkeley's j-school is quoted as saying: "Blogging is merely software. What matters is the actual content."
The SF Weekly has a story about an unpaid blogger doing work for the San Francisco Examiner who appears to be so passionate about getting out information that she doesn't bother to tell the reader where the information came from.
In lifting passages from a Sacramento Bee article about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's questionable trip expenses, the blogger, Sharon Gray, says: "I was just passionately trying to draw attention to something that was obviously bad for the people of California," she added, in reference to the secretive funding of Schwarzenegger's trips."
The Examiner's response? The online edition has lower standards for accuracy and attribution.
The Weekly doesn't whip Gray, but instead says her example should be an example for newspapers. As Robert Gunnison of UC Berkeley's j-school is quoted as saying: "Blogging is merely software. What matters is the actual content."
Your mustache tickles
John Bolton, former U.N. ambassador, wants to molest Iran: Ironically, the NIE opens the way for Iran to achieve its military nuclear ambitions in an essentially unmolested fashion, to the detriment of us all.
He calls into question the National Intelligence Estimate on the state of Iran's nuclear program, saying policy wonks inside our intelligence community with an agenda and lying mullahs inside Iran have hoodwinked our leaders.
His criticism presages the Republican talking points, both inside the White House and out.
John Bolton, former U.N. ambassador, wants to molest Iran: Ironically, the NIE opens the way for Iran to achieve its military nuclear ambitions in an essentially unmolested fashion, to the detriment of us all.
He calls into question the National Intelligence Estimate on the state of Iran's nuclear program, saying policy wonks inside our intelligence community with an agenda and lying mullahs inside Iran have hoodwinked our leaders.
His criticism presages the Republican talking points, both inside the White House and out.
Blind, deaf and dumb
Once upon a time, mobs would gather outside the local jail - torches blazing, blood alcohol levels soaring, of a single mind to do the job they came to do.
Now mobs gather in front of computers - no torches, blood fully caffeinated, and without a clear sense of purpose. The mobs are at the ready, but they're waiting for someone to tell them how to act.
Enter the corporate bosses. They have employed advertisers, marketers and assorted investors to figure out ways to lead these mobs without the mobs knowing they're being led.
It reminds me of that old-timey religion that got so many good people into trouble.
Which leads me back to journalism and the newsroom junkies who have barred the doors to keep the citizen media-mob out. The mob thinks the door is a barrier to a better informed world - and to its own self-fulfillment. The journalists think the door is a last, best hope to keeping their profession professional. And sitting on the sidelines are the corporate fucks who passively sicked the citizen mob on the newsroom.
Indeed, rich people have found a way to get richer by using smart, well-intentioned people as a battering ram. What this citizen media - these online evangelicals - want has little to do with the object of their disdain. As they seek to destroy the "old ways" of journalism to make room for the new (as though newspapers were crowding them out) they in fact destroy a structure that benefits them.
How does assailing professional standards, ethics and ideals help the citizen media succeed in its quest? It doesn't. It does, however, help the bosses cut costs. An unpaid blogger is cheaper than a paid journalist. An unpaid blogger doesn't need to be edited (or so we're told). And an unpaid blogger who writes well (I'd never dispute their talent) can attract as many or more eyeballs than a tough-minded City Hall reporter.
The key is to make the blogger believe he is doing something noble by not getting paid and, de facto, the journalist becomes a scoundrel and an impediment.
And how can the journalist respond? By defending the profession and the paycheck, of course. The journalist looks like an elitist in the process.
The bosses win.
Once upon a time, mobs would gather outside the local jail - torches blazing, blood alcohol levels soaring, of a single mind to do the job they came to do.
Now mobs gather in front of computers - no torches, blood fully caffeinated, and without a clear sense of purpose. The mobs are at the ready, but they're waiting for someone to tell them how to act.
Enter the corporate bosses. They have employed advertisers, marketers and assorted investors to figure out ways to lead these mobs without the mobs knowing they're being led.
It reminds me of that old-timey religion that got so many good people into trouble.
Which leads me back to journalism and the newsroom junkies who have barred the doors to keep the citizen media-mob out. The mob thinks the door is a barrier to a better informed world - and to its own self-fulfillment. The journalists think the door is a last, best hope to keeping their profession professional. And sitting on the sidelines are the corporate fucks who passively sicked the citizen mob on the newsroom.
Indeed, rich people have found a way to get richer by using smart, well-intentioned people as a battering ram. What this citizen media - these online evangelicals - want has little to do with the object of their disdain. As they seek to destroy the "old ways" of journalism to make room for the new (as though newspapers were crowding them out) they in fact destroy a structure that benefits them.
How does assailing professional standards, ethics and ideals help the citizen media succeed in its quest? It doesn't. It does, however, help the bosses cut costs. An unpaid blogger is cheaper than a paid journalist. An unpaid blogger doesn't need to be edited (or so we're told). And an unpaid blogger who writes well (I'd never dispute their talent) can attract as many or more eyeballs than a tough-minded City Hall reporter.
The key is to make the blogger believe he is doing something noble by not getting paid and, de facto, the journalist becomes a scoundrel and an impediment.
And how can the journalist respond? By defending the profession and the paycheck, of course. The journalist looks like an elitist in the process.
The bosses win.
The New Gatsby
I'm not sure which part of the Florida penal code deals with this type of (alleged) form of murder: Bill Ash, a former assistant to Mr. Tobias, said he had told the police that Mrs. Tobias confessed to him that she had cajoled her husband into the water while he was on a cocaine binge with a promise of sex with a male go-go dancer known as Tiger.
Cajoling with intent to drown? Solicitation in a dangerous setting?
Whatever, the New York Times has a fascinating read about the death and life of Circle T hedge fund manager Seth Tobias. Attempts to broaden the salacious details into a parable on the "modern gilded age" are a bit tortured, but the whole affair does speak to the aggressive self-loathing found in the egos of America's capitalist subculture.
Dec 4, 2007
Dec 2, 2007
Bible thumping
Reading Jeff Jarvis' response to Bill Keller's speech on the Decline and Fall of the Newspaper in the Age of Blogging made me think of the arguments I used to have with evangelical Christians back in high school. It started out fun because it felt like Big Ideas were crashing another, like Titans doing battle in the Arena of Argument. Only the strongest survive.
But after a while I realized we were talking past each other, and essentially arguing to hear own tongues rattle. We were speaking different languages; the only thing we had in common was a passion for our position.
Similarly, Jarvis and Keller at first appear to be opponents until one takes a closer look. (Indeed, Keller even makes this point himself in a response to the response to the speech.)
To me, Jarvis plays the part of the intelligent, busy body neighbor who regularly walks the sidewalks, knows everyone's name and organizes the neighborhood watch program to help improve safety and assist the police. It's laudable that Jarvis wants to encourage a more informed citizenry that uses the Internet for constructive purposes and to assist journalists (and others) by pointing a million flashlights into the darkness.
And, like that busy body neighbor, Jarvis has a bit of the gadfly in him. Even when Keller restates his case to show the two aren't really at odds, Jarvis looks for a way to salvage the argument so he can keep speaking. Ironic.
Keller makes the point that professional journalism is suffering because readers - and, more dangerously, media owners - increasingly confuse/blur the act of transmitting information with the act of reporting. He is saying that the promise that the Internet holds for new ways of connecting should not be used as a tool to bludgeon journalists - no matter who is wielding the bludgeon.
In the end, I hope bloggers and other online evangelicals find peace in doing what they're doing and learn to see journalism as a specialized field that, as I've said before, anyone is welcome to join.
Which reminds me: Dan Kennedy over at Media Nation took umbrage at my unoriginal idea of polling a cross section of the nation's political reporters to develop questions for a presidential debate as a way to avoid the goofiness and conflict of CNN-YouTube. I think he and I simply have different goals. His appears to be an effort to harness the populist power of the Internet to change politics whereas and I want to hold the fuckers accountable (especially in this freakishly truncated primary season).
But after a while I realized we were talking past each other, and essentially arguing to hear own tongues rattle. We were speaking different languages; the only thing we had in common was a passion for our position.
Similarly, Jarvis and Keller at first appear to be opponents until one takes a closer look. (Indeed, Keller even makes this point himself in a response to the response to the speech.)
To me, Jarvis plays the part of the intelligent, busy body neighbor who regularly walks the sidewalks, knows everyone's name and organizes the neighborhood watch program to help improve safety and assist the police. It's laudable that Jarvis wants to encourage a more informed citizenry that uses the Internet for constructive purposes and to assist journalists (and others) by pointing a million flashlights into the darkness.
And, like that busy body neighbor, Jarvis has a bit of the gadfly in him. Even when Keller restates his case to show the two aren't really at odds, Jarvis looks for a way to salvage the argument so he can keep speaking. Ironic.
Keller makes the point that professional journalism is suffering because readers - and, more dangerously, media owners - increasingly confuse/blur the act of transmitting information with the act of reporting. He is saying that the promise that the Internet holds for new ways of connecting should not be used as a tool to bludgeon journalists - no matter who is wielding the bludgeon.
In the end, I hope bloggers and other online evangelicals find peace in doing what they're doing and learn to see journalism as a specialized field that, as I've said before, anyone is welcome to join.
Which reminds me: Dan Kennedy over at Media Nation took umbrage at my unoriginal idea of polling a cross section of the nation's political reporters to develop questions for a presidential debate as a way to avoid the goofiness and conflict of CNN-YouTube. I think he and I simply have different goals. His appears to be an effort to harness the populist power of the Internet to change politics whereas and I want to hold the fuckers accountable (especially in this freakishly truncated primary season).
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