Why The Press Failed
AlterNet.org
The
Bush administration's media strategy was simple: Treat the press as a
special interest group and the American public as a market of
consumers. It almost worked.
When, on
May 26, 2004, the editors of the New York Times published a mea culpa
for the paper's one-sided reporting on weapons of mass destruction and
the Iraq war, they admitted to "a number of instances of coverage that
was not as rigorous as it should have been." They also commented that
they had since come to "wish we had been more aggressive in
re-examining claims" made by the Bush Administration. But we are still
left to wonder why the Times, like many other major media outlets in
this country, was so lacking in skepticism toward administration
rationales for war? How could such a poorly thought through policy,
based on spurious exile intelligence sources, have been so blithely
accepted, even embraced, by so many members of the media? In short,
what happened to the press's vaunted role, so carefully spelled out by
the Founding Fathers, as a skeptical "watchdog" over government?
There's
nothing like seeing a well-oiled machine clank to a halt to help you
spot problems.
(more)
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Monday, August 2
Why The Press Failed
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 02 Aug 2004 04:43 PM CDT
Iowa in the News: Politics
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 02 Aug 2004 09:45 AM CDT
Teachers, realtors among biggest political spenders
WHO TV CEDAR RAPIDS - Political action committees representing teachers and realtors were among the biggest spenders during the last two months in Iowa. The Iowa State Education Association spent the most, more than 100-thousand-dollars, between May 19th and July 19th, [most of it going to Democrats]. The Iowa Realtors PAC ranked first in terms of money collected during the reporting period and third in money spent. It sent contributions to local and legislative candidates, most of them Republicans. (more) Suits seek removal of Iowa sheriff, prosecutor Omaha.com DES MOINES - Lawsuits filed Friday in Cass County seek the removal of the county sheriff and prosecutor in the wake of a state audit that found financial irregularities. The lawsuits naming Cass County Attorney James P. Barry and Sheriff Larry D. Jones were filed by seven residents acting for the state. Barry and Jones "were given until noon to resign and neither did," said Ronald W. Feilmeyer, who was appointed acting prosecutor by District Judge Charles Smith. Attorney General Tom Miller had ordered a criminal investigation on July 1, the day after the audit was released, at the request of State Auditor David Vaudt. (more) Vilsack's dance with national politics leaves Iowa wondering about the future KTVO TV3 . . . Lawyers in the attorney general's office are now trying to figure out what happens if Vilsack doesn't finish his second term. Julie Pottorff says some things are clear -- Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson would be sworn in as his replacement. But other issues are murkier, such as whether Pederson would pick her own successor. Pottorff says the issue is complicated because voters in the 1980s amended the Iowa Constitution to require the governor and lieutenant governor run as a team. (more) Dean Morsels Romney was hardly the only politician in town during the convention likely casting an eye toward the future: Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor who lost to Kerry in the primaries, is likely to run again in 2008 if Kerry loses, Democrats close to him said. (No Democrats are openly entertaining the idea of challenging Kerry in an '08 primary, or publicly hoping he will lose.) Boston.com “There are two other groups that are responsible for what George Bush is doing to the country,” Dean said. “One is the Democratic Party for not standing up to George Bush three years ago. The other is us.” The Harvard Crimson Online
Connie Wilson: The Ladykillers and the Beltway Crowd - A Review
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 02 Aug 2004 04:14 AM CDT
"The LadyKillers" and the Beltway Crowd: A Review
By Connie Corcoran Wilson, M.S. Tom Hanks has a new film out, The Ladykillers, in which he portrays Goldthwaite Higgenson Door, PhD., the leader of a misfit band of criminals intent on pulling off a robbery in Pascagoula, Mississippi. I couldn’t help but notice that some of the gang of miscreants reminded me of a certain Washington, D.C. bunch of Beltway insiders. In his role as the deceitful, duplicitous, but oh-so-cultured leader of the pack, the star would be analogous to our own VP Richard “Dick” (emphasis on “Dick”) Cheney. Quote: “I will take care of the matter as only a highly-educated classicist could.” There is a character called “Lump” in the film. I’ll let you use your imagination on that one. It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out which of the White House bunch is “Lump.” Lump seems to have a soft heart. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be much else going on in his cranium. Lump is just “there,” recruited because the gang might need some brute strength. Even the Professor says of him, “To look at Lump, you might wonder what he will be able to offer to our enterprise.” (What, indeed?) At one point in the film, Hanks berates Lump, saying, “You stupid boy. You very, very extremely stupid boy.” The audience kind of likes Lump, though, just as you like a small, stupid puppy. But Lump is definitely not too bright. However, it is Lump who, at one point, suggests that they bribe Mr. Gudge (Stephen Root, who played Milton in “Office Space”), the casino boss who has just fired the “inside man,” as played by Marlon Wayans, (the least likeable of the Wayans brothers). In other words, Lump occasionally has his “even-a-blind-pig-finds-an-acorn-once-in-a-while” moment(s). The plot has Professor Goldthwaite and his accomplices renting Mrs. Marva Munson’s rooming house as a base of operations to rob the public blind by tunneling to the nearby Bandit Queen gambling casino to rob the counting room. (Gee! This sounds very familiar….robbing the trusting public for personal gain….but lying to them about what is really going on. Hmmmmmm. Where have I encountered this plot recently?) more » |
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