Bono's New Casualty: 'Private Ryan'

nytimes.com ^ | November 21, 2004 | nytimes.com

[crushelits]

President Bush tried to turn the campaign, in part, into a referendum on Hollywood's lack of a "heart and soul." Now that he's won, administration apparatchiks have declared his victory a repudiation not just of Hollywood's dream factory but of the news industry's reality factory.

"The biggest loser was the mainstream media," wrote Peggy Noonan in an online analysis for The Wall Street Journal after Election Day. She predicted that institutions like the networks, The New York Times and, presumably, the print edition of her own newspaper (editorial page excepted) were on their way to being rendered extinct by "the blogosphere and AM radio and the Internet" ­ in other words, by opinion writers like herself.

In this diet of "news" championed by the right, there's no need for actual reporters who gather facts firsthand by leaving their laptops and broadcast booths behind and risking their lives to bear witness to what is actually happening on the ground in places like Falluja and Baghdad. The facts of current events can become as ideologically fungible as the scientific evidence supporting evolution. Whatever comforting version of events supports your politics is the "news."

[crushelits]

Frank Rich, Yet Another Out of Touch Priss From the Old Media The NYT's theater critic turned self absorbed know it all Frank Rich laments that in the right wing blogosphere "there's no need for actual reporters who gather facts firsthand by leaving their laptops and broadcast booths behind and risking their lives to bear witness to what is actually happening on the ground in places like Falluja and Baghdad."

Hmm, why am I thinking of Jayson Blair and Dan Rather right now? And why am I not surprised that this blathering leftist didn't read this post at NRO about a military commander discussing how many in his command and in Iraq are bloggers. Hey Frank, go back to writing about Broadway plays, leave the Iraq stuff to people with a clue. Although you do fit right in with the rest of the hacks and over there.

[sep699]

Funny how much power some guy's sitting around in their pajama's can have... The MSM sees their end coming sooner than later.

[Cyber Liberty]

From bugmenot.com:

ratherlies
password

[Gingersnap]

"...there's no need for actual reporters who gather facts firsthand by leaving their laptops and broadcast booths behind and risking their lives to bear witness to what is actually happening on the ground in places like Falluja and Baghdad."

Absolutely right, there's no need. That's because soldiers who are actually risking their own lives can send emails and pictures to families and friends, they can log on to discussion boards and they can write their own blogs.

Who would I rather believe? A soldier who is reporting what he actually did or a reporter who is trying to build a career?

[narby]

The MSM sees their end coming sooner than later.

That's why they're the "Old Media".

[Patti_ORiley]

"Whatever comforting version of events supports your politics is the "news.""

This writer acts as though he doesn't realize this has been the left's modus operandi for the last fifty years. The left just can't accept the fact that they don't control what people are thinking anymore.

[crushkerry]

Frank Rich, Yet Another Out of Touch Priss From the Old Media The NYT's theater critic turned self absorbed know it all Frank Rich laments that in the right wing blogosphere "there's no need for actual reporters who gather facts firsthand by leaving their laptops and broadcast booths behind and risking their lives to bear witness to what is actually happening on the ground in places like Falluja and Baghdad."

Hmm, why am I thinking of Jayson Blair and Dan Rather right now? And why am I not surprised that this blathering leftist didn't read this post at NRO about a military commander discussing how many in his command and in Iraq are bloggers. Hey Frank, go back to writing about Broadway plays, leave the Iraq stuff to people with a clue. Although you do fit right in with the rest of the hacks and over there.

This comment came from, of course, crushkerry.com. LOL. Thanks for reading and sharing.

[lonevoice]

AWESOME commentary! I'm glad you saw this thread so you could give proper credit.

[SFC Chromey]

LEGACY MEDIA ALERT!

[Awestruck]

"reporters who gather facts firsthand ".... today's MSM "reporters" are nothing more than glorified gossip columnists who wouldn't know the "facts" if they hit them in the face.