They are burdened with the resentful upper crust's contempt and dread of their own society, and misapprehend it the way only missionaries or would-be colonial masters can.
Consider Mary Mapes: by all evidence a person totally consumed by delusions of adequacy. Only in the bizarre world of high stakes journalism could a person so immune to facts survive even as long as she did. Ever since the regrettable Supreme Court decision in Sullivan v. New York Times American journalism has become increasingly divorced from the concept of consequences for proffering falsehoods. Why should Mary Mapes think anything would come of embracing an obvious and crude fabrication? Like Professor Harold Hill, she has come to believe that whatever she wants to believe is true, that wishing it to be so will make it so.
There are far more charlatans like Mary Mapes in America's newsrooms than the cynical hardboiled curmudgeons of the 1930's film noir variety. And these self declared cynics are in fact naifs, believing every and any far fetched concoction if it fits their preconceived notions. American journalism needs a new birth. It is not the technology that is destroying American newspapers, it is the practitioners.
Not only has the paper taken to running leftist columnists like E.J. Dionne, but the reporting is skewed to the left. I cancelled my long-time subscription when they misreported the 2000 Florida recount Supreme Court decision. When I called to complain the managing editor told me that the information on the count of justices came out too late for them to have it accurate. That was a bald-faced lie, and I told him that I had seen the count on Fox News way before the deadline, and if they couldn't turn on a TV they were pretty poor reporters.
We agreed to a Sunday subscription about a year ago because my husband wanted the ads. A couple of weeks ago they started giving us the Thursday paper for free, so we could get the grocery ads. I am certain this was because the groceries pressed them to do so.
Content is skewed in every section of the paper. Local stuff pumps up the incoompetent democrat mayor and ignores much of what Governor Daniels is doing...last week their front page story was on Daniels doing too much too soon. (I guess they wanted him to simply be a place holder or something.) The feature section (formerly women's pages) is skewed to minorities, same-sex couples, family problems, etc. Sports coverage is always full of scandals and griping.
Gannett has turned it into a rotten paper. If I could just buy a subscription to the ads, I would do so.
Masterful post.
Consider Mary Mapes: by all evidence a person totally consumed by delusions of adequacy. Only in the bizarre world of high stakes journalism could a person so immune to facts survive even as long as she did. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You may be right but a lot of people who are totally immune to facts have had long careers in business management.
Wow!!! Fantistic words.
Excellent points all. Seems like after Watergate journalism began attracting people who wanted to change the world rather than report the news. With a self appointed mandate like this it doesn't take long before the ends start justifying (indeed! - mandating) any means imaginable.