Enjoyed the book review in the WSJ this morning of the book “Getting it Wrong,” debunking some epic media myths:
William Randolph Hearst never said, “You furnish the pictures, and I’ll furnish the war.” Orson Welles’s “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast didn’t panic America. Ed Murrow’s “See It Now” TV show didn’t destroy Sen. Joseph McCarthy. JFK didn’t talk the New York Times into spiking its scoop on the Bay of Pigs invasion. Far from being the first hero of the Iraq War, captured Army Pvt. Jessica Lynch was caught sobbing “Oh, God help us” and never fired a shot.
But the best part was at the very end:
For all Mr. Campbell’s earnest scholarship, these media myths are certain to survive his efforts to slay them. Journalism can’t help itself — it loves and perpetuates its sacred legends of evil power-mongers, courageous underdogs, dread plagues and human folly. At the end of the book, Mr. Campbell offers some remedies for media mythologizing, urging journalists, among other things, “to deepen their appreciation of complexity and ambiguity.” Good luck with that, professor.
Yeah, good luck indeed. For instance, good luck expecting any depth or perspective in the PC tsunami that will wash over us from the national media as they thrill over the idea of “an Indian-American woman” becoming governor in the South. Never mind what she would do as governor, the simplistic identity politics narrative overrides all…
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Perhaps we should not leave this subject without a moment to honor Sgt. Donald Walters, the actual hero whose exploits were apparently appropriated and assigned to Jessica Lynch amid the fog of battle.
Walters was the soldier who emptied clip after clip at the enemy, allowing several of his comrades to escape, before being captured — and apparently executed by the Fedayeen — after he ran out of ammo.
Meanwhile, the national media underwent an orgy of celebration of Pvt. Lynch — ironically, for SOME of the same reasons it is so ecstatic over Nikki Haley. And with an equal disregard for inconvenient facts.
Can anyone figure out some way (preferably one that doesn’t land us in jail)of getting the media to attend to the potential threat that Ms. Haley is? Of course, that might get her as many headlines, increasing name recognition. And, of course, her name will come first on the ballot…
I saw the FOI loophole story but it’s not really new. Hasn’t this been goin on for a while now? Why isn’t this a MUCH bigger story. I think she really does have something to hide. But what? I’ll give The State a bit of credit on this one.
The emails: either they confirm Folks’ story, or nondisclosure muddies the waters about it all and creates deniability, or there’s something a heck of a lot more smokin’ in them than a tawdry affair.
Actually, Karen, did you notice the strong editorial in The State Sunday calling out Nikki for using an FOI loophole specifically carved out to protect legislators from transparency to avoid releasing her state-issued e-mail records? And doing so while running on a platform of “transparency.”
You just can’t make this stuff up. Reality is weirder than imagination.
Bud, note that I’ve started a separate thread on the subject…
We need something stronger than a local newspaper that’s shrunk so much that no one can find it.
Is Sheheen still running? or has he been on vacation for the past month. Haven’t heard anything that would suggest he is doing anything to make his case. Just praying that there’s a smoking gun email… good luck with that too, Vince.