Intermarkets' Privacy Policy
Support


Donate to Ace of Spades HQ!


Contact
Ace:
aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com
Buck:
buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com
CBD:
cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com
joe mannix:
mannix2024 at proton.me
MisHum:
petmorons at gee mail.com
J.J. Sefton:
sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com


Recent Entries
Absent Friends
Bandersnatch 2024
GnuBreed 2024
Captain Hate 2023
moon_over_vermont 2023
westminsterdogshow 2023
Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022
Dave In Texas 2022
Jesse in D.C. 2022
OregonMuse 2022
redc1c4 2021
Tami 2021
Chavez the Hugo 2020
Ibguy 2020
Rickl 2019
Joffen 2014
AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published. Contact OrangeEnt for info:
maildrop62 at proton dot me
Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups






















« How about another story ignored by the MSM? | Main | Live Thread: Presidential Address on Katrina »
September 15, 2005

'There Is No Distance in Waveland Anymore' or 'How I learned to Stop Thinking and Love Anderson Cooper: Weepy, All-Human Missionary.'

Mickey Kaus, today, collects a pair of irritating quotes from CNN newshead Jonathan Klein, lavishing praise over white haired, new-school journalist Anderson Cooper:

"He is the anchorperson of the future," Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN/U.S., said [of Anderson Cooper] in an interview. He is "an anti-anchorperson," he said, adding: "He's all human. He's not putting it on."--New York Times
"I think other news executives are drooling over him," [Klein] says. "He brings a new dimension to the job, which is a concept of an anchor as a kind of missionary. It's a new model for thinking about what the anchorperson ought to be."--New York magazine

On Monday, Mickey wrote:

Wonder why those CNN anchors are so emotional and angry all of a sudden? Are they actually emotional and angry--or are they being told to be emotional and angry? The buried lede in Michael Kinsley's column:
The TV news networks, which only a few months ago were piously suppressing emotional fireworks by their pundits, are now piously encouraging their news anchors to break out of the emotional straitjackets and express outrage. A Los Angeles Times colleague of mine, appearing on CNN last week to talk about Katrina, was told by a producer to "get angry."

Here’s the thing. Politics wise, emotionalism is always going to tilt reaction to the left. I mean, even putting aside the Mars and Venus school of political thought that goes: ‘liberals see the world through emotion, while conservatives respond more detached and thinky,’ when some Empath is going all angry/blubbery on the “Someone, Just Do Something” newschannel, the not so hidden “someone” is usually taken to mean “government.”

But okay, putting even that aside, whatever happened to journalism’s romantic ideal of the world weary stoic? The cool daddy with the icewater in his veins?

Edward R. Murrow, braving the Blitz, perched atop London buildings, describing for his listeners the shattered city about him, did not begin his broadcasts “AAAHHHH! Oh, God, Oh God, Oh God! AAAAAAHHHHHH!” despite the fact that focus groups would surely have revealed this sentiment most dominant in the minds of the London towners about him.

Dan Rather, bless his heart, cut his teeth chasing down Texas windstorms to confront both stoicly and needlessly, struggling to remain upright, emphasizing for viewers the crazed, unreasoning force of nature, and, well, Dan Rather.

But now we turn on the TV and we get Geraldo: (reg. req.)

"Reporters are supposed to remain distant observers. There is no distance in Waveland, anymore." Without this distance, he injects himself into the story, reacting with outrage, holding babies, helping survivors sift through the ruins, and showing viewers his tears.

Get that? Lemme repeat it for you. There is no distance in Waveland anymore.

Now, I don’t know if CNN is instructing it’s anchors to go all ‘feelie’ and ‘outrage’ or they’re just hiring natural ‘Broadcast News’ weepies. Either way, stop. When a nation turn to you, scooping up every morsel on the latest national crisis, your tone matters. Yes, I said it, MSM. You still matter. And much like troops being well served not witnessing Sarge go all “Were gonna die!” wobbly in front in front of them, it would be nice if the tone you set for the nation was that of the “stiff upper lip” sort. Misdirected rage, though it feels good and gets people to tune in, is still misdirected, and really kinda harmful, especially in the early hours when organizations and people still struggling to get online and operational. So set a better tone. Yeah, you can do that, set a tone. Don't pretend you don't think you can or do.

(P.S: You know when I can accept you newscasters getting all blubbery? When a Zeppelin explodes in front of you. Then and only then, it’s okay to get all “Oh, the humanity!” Short of Zeppelin explosions, let's butch it up, huh?)


digg this
posted by Dr. Reo Symes at 05:11 PM

| Access Comments




Recent Comments
[/i][/b]andycanuck (hovnC)[/s][/u]: "Maral Salmassi @MaralSalmassi Despite claims made ..."

jimmymcnulty: "Are Australian pizzas served upside down. Asking ..."

Viggo Tarasov: "Hey, that tweezer thing can really pluck someone u ..."

Eromero: "322 German police valiantly confiscating a Swiss A ..."

Anna Puma: "BOLO Rowdy the kangaroo has jumped his fence an ..."

fd: "You can't leave Islam. They won't let you. ..."

[/b][/s][/u][/i]muldoon, astronomically challenged: "German police valiantly confiscating a Swiss Army ..."

Cicero (@cicero43): "Hamas clearly recognises that when the cultural es ..."

Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd: "The only way you can defend this position is to ei ..."

Ciampino - See you don't solve it by banning guns: "303 BMW pretty low to ground ... at least it wasn ..."

NaCly Dog: "I had a UPS package assigned to a woman in another ..."

Dr. Not The 9 0'Clock News: "One high school history teacher I remember well, a ..."

Recent Entries
Search


Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
Powered by
Movable Type 2.64