The expression concludes "...finds the occasional ear of corn" or "acorn." Whichever, the image of a large, ungainly creature rooting around in the mud and happening upon a treat at rare intervals seems apt when considering the contemporary Press.
Journalist Carl M. Cannon puts it another way: "In the 2008 election, we [the press] took sides, straight and simple, particularly with regard to the vice presidential race. [...W]e simply didn't hold Joe Biden to the same standard as Sarah Palin, and for me, the real loser in this sordid tale is my chosen profession." It's worth reading.
(Found via this article on NewsBusters).
Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteI don't read it as a Mea Culpa, as I can't recall Carl Cannon going into egregious personal attacks during the election. An industry wide pointing of the finger, yes, and lays out the support in a way that journalists seldom do anymore.
IMHO, Bravo to him, but far too little and far too late. That well is poisoned already, and will carry the taint for generations no matter how much bleach is poured into it.
He sort of forgot to mention that they took sides on the Presidential election, glueball wormenating, gun control, cannibal pot economics, and the designated hitter.
ReplyDeleteAlcee Hastings probably admitted to jaywalking once, too.
Bobbi: On another matter altogether you need to head over to www.crazedpw.blogspot.com and read Jeffro at THE POOR FARM. He does hand you a Great Compliment. I especially like the detail of the model Sopwith Camel analogy.
ReplyDeleteAll The Best,
Frank W. James
A huge compliment indeed! I'm blushing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing me there, Frank; I read through my blogroll pretty slowly and it would have been awhile before I found that.
Here's an amusing detail: One reason, a big reason I linked to Jeffro is 'cos I admire his writing skills.
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Ken, Carteach, the thing that caught me was exactly that Mr. Cannon is no particular friend to Our Side and yet even he is seeing it.
It's yet another sign of change a-comin', more unrest in the huts and cubicles behind the fancy manor house of the Fourth Estate. I think it is a general theme of which we will hear more and more, especially if current opinion poll trends continue or accelerate.
Re: Cannon
ReplyDeleteIMO, the real meat of his article starts around para 6, and continues to:
If being "liberal" now meant sympathy for the Democratic Party, and being conservative implied sympathy for Republicans, all those liberal newsrooms across the country were gradually going to alienate themselves from about half their readers. That this might pose a problem never dawned on the men and women who controlled the media – even as it drove their right-of-center readers and viewers away in droves.
To the best of my memory, this is one of the few times somebody who qualifies as part of the media establishment (I don't include Bernard Goldberg) has openly acknowledged this. Unfortunately, as Carteach0 says above, it's far too little and far too late.