JULY 5: COMING TOMORROW: DISSECTING BRAZIL

POLITICS NOT NEWSWORTHY

POST TRASHES MOORE

BUSH ENDORSES DISSENT

On the Amtrak ACELA-RATING back to New York from a day in Washington, your news dissector is perusing the Washington Post, unaware of later breaking news or what else is going on in the world.

Out the window, a sign: “TRENTON MAKES, THE WORLD TAKES.” Its been a long time since the world took much from Trenton but myths die hard in a Garden state “ruled” by two archetype families — The Springsteens and the Sopranos.

A WALK THROUGH THE KILLING FIELDS

In the paper, we have Colin Powell, the first US official to visit the Sudan in 25 years, showing up for a 15 minute walking tour cameras in tow. 200 people a day have been dying in a genocidal conflict that has been largely ignored by our Iraq obsessed Administration.

He visited a part of the country hat is in the best shape. The region , I learned is the size of France. The government was warned to act within 30 days. In other words, the killers are free to keep the massacres going for another month. Lets not do anything, A US official is quoted as saying until Powell and UN Secretary General Kofi Anan complete their visits.Photo ops must come first!

MEDIA TO DEMOCRACY; ITS NOT NEWS

On my arrival, I found a copy of the HILL newspaper with this headline that is SO apropos of my media crusade:

“TV TO SNUB CONVENTIONS

“PARTY ANGST AS NETWORKS PLAN TO SCALE BACK COEVRAGE IN BOSTON AND NEW YORK.”

So again, instead of showcasing some form of democracy in action, the TV networks, in their infinite wisdom, think it will be boring and want us all to think the same. This attitude, whatever its merits, is another nail in the coffin of party based politics. The excuse: there is no news.

This from networks that have been dumbing down the nooze for years. NO NEWS! Why not just bring in J LO or Britney as commentators. Then it would make it newsworthy in their closed eyes.

CHURCH AND STATE

From Union Station it was off to a radio interview with Barry Lynn of Americans United For Separation of Church and State. Funny story. Their new building was bought from the centrist Democratic Leadership Conference, The building plans had to be approved by the Architect of the Capitol who guides all construction in the Capitol Hill District, Their organization then had to put up a building that looked like other buildings in the block which includes a church. So the structure of an organization that wants to keep religion in check in our public life had to look like a church. To add insult to injury, the Church next door they mimic is led by a Moonie acolyte.

TRASHING MICHAEL MOORE

Fahrenheit 911 is stirring debate here too. And being bashed. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the White House has decided it doesn’t exist and won’t comment. “We don’t do movie reviews,” says Presidential Press Secretary Scott McClellan. This is a familiar ploy, part of the Administration playbook. “I don’t do quagmires, “said Donald Rumsfeld. “We don’t do body counts,” said former war commander Tommy Franks. The Journal noted that Mel Gibson’s movie marketing advisor is advising right wing groups on how to respond or not respond to Moore. If they had a chance they would crucify him.

Richard Cohen, resident liberal on the Post editorial page offers a sanctimonious take on Michael Moore’s film. Writing in a newspaper whose own Ombudsman savaged its pre-war coverage Cohen goes after Moore in a column titled “BALONEY, MOORE OR LESS”

Lets’ see. He says he was defeated by the “utter stupidity of the movie.” He calls it a “prosaic and boring.” He says it is a “warning to the Democrats to keep the loony left at a safe distance.” To this sage, 911 offers “nothing new” and is “utterly predictable.” And that’s just for starters.

How does he really feel? “It is so juvenile in its approach, so awful in its journalism” etc etc. It made him more sympathetic to Bush.

Hello? This from the newspaper that carried the government line on Jessica Lynch as news, that ran totally unbalanced editorials on the war, Etc. Etc

This is such a sign of what a bubble the beltway has become where nominal Democrats apologize for Republicans, and discredit any and all independent efforts to provoke a deeper debate. And yes I know the Post has done some good war reporting and I am not going to smear Richard who I like or the whole paper. But it is this type of name calling and haranguing that continues to broaden the divide between those who are fighting for change and those who “on balance” are happy the way it is.

There are issues to argue about in Michael Moore’s film but we wouldn’t be doing so of he hadn’t made it.

DOING DISSENT

And oh yes, in the Post yesterday in our war is peace and peace is war era, we had the Post reporting that President Bush was defending the virtues of dissent — not in America, of course, but in Turkey.

He doesn’t do dissent!

YOUR LETTERS

Oh Urs writes:

“One thing that should be mentioned regarding thisstory is that Charles Gibson of ABC’s Good MorningAmerica chided the mother (Nadia) of Patrick McCaffreyfor allowing photos of her son’s flag-draped casket tobe printed in the media, instead of showing a photo ofthe soldier when he was alive. Who is he to tell amother how to portray her own son after he died forserving his country? It is disgraceful to insist thata reporter’s take on her son’s life is more valid thana mother’s!

It’s also a lousy way of trying to make up for one’sown failure as a journalist to check and double-checkthe facts before blindly repeating the warmonger’slies as facts. ”

Bob Katt: “As usual, the ND is a provocative, stimulating, delightfully irritating joy to read. Regarding the US emulating the Canadians’ use of old fashioned paper ballots, it would never happen, even with the illegal disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters. The second theft of the presidential election would be immeasurably more difficult to perpetrate. Good luck with your film!”

Kathryn is back. And she’s right, but, sorry that my bad habits somehow hang on:

“Ouch. I know this isn’t the most important thing about your column — certainly not to you and not even to me — but…

I won’t write about it again; it clearly doesn’t matter to you or you give credence to those who say it’s ok to treat “media” as a singular noun. I’m not, as you know one of them. It sounds wrong and unprofessional and it hurts the eyes and ears. But as I said, you won’t hear from me about it again.”

Jack Schulz: “Earlier this week I saw part of the interview Bush gave to Carole Coleman, Washington correspondent for Ireland’s RTE public television network. It was obvious that he was squirming in his seat as she asked him the tough penetrating questions and sharp follow-ups that the sycophantic White House press corpse wouldn’t dream of asking.

“It reminded me of an interview I heard a year or so ago on CBC radio, Canada’s public broadcaster. Anna-Marie Tremonti was interviewing Henry Kissinger about a new book that he had published. When she began to ask him questions about his involvement in the overthrow of Salvador Allende and his role in the murder of General Rene Schneider, Kissinger got up and walked out in the middle of the interview. Nothing like this ever happened to him on PBS. He has always been treated deferentially on the Lehrer News Hour.. Real public broadcasting, unfortunately, does not exist in the US.”

Sorry, have to run now.,?I am late, late, late, and later today on my way to Brazil for a big forum on culture. Back next week. Have a great break if you are having a break. Keep your letters coming: write dissector@mediachannel.org