Thanks for reminding of that Rush segment. I happened to be driving and listening at that time so I think he expressed very well the central theme here. I’d add to that the dichotomy/bifurcation that occurred in times past between “reporter” and “journalist” has bearing on this discussion, too. The reporter was all about the 5Ws and an H while the journalist merely used those as tools to allow themselves to tell us what the story “really means” with their “news analysis” and “investigative reporting.” Thus, we get exploding pickups due to planted fireworks and time-travelling typewriters.
Thanks for the comments on my mentioning that Rush segment.
Yes the 5Ws and the H were the guidelines of good journalism back when.
Now there’s an E (editorial) in each article, or seems to be.
Yes, “What it really means...”, as if we and the American public can’t figure that out for ourselves.
Good points, exploding pickups and all...