Posts by Sacha
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Hard News: Tired and emotional, for reals, in reply to Jdrinnan,
I would not have used Gordon Campbell and Bryce Edwards to illustrate the issue
Yet he did.
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Hard News: Tired and emotional, for reals, in reply to Jdrinnan,
opens up a festering issue about bloggers and the relationship with mainstream media
Almost as if nobody else had been writing about it during the last decade.
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Cracker: Bloggers: Pr*cks, Ars*holes,…, in reply to George Darroch,
In politics it has become especially overt
Yet without transparently declaring the bias.
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Capture: Spring is Like a Perhaps Hand, in reply to Hebe,
I feel every frame
I was thinking yesterday that you all have some understanding of war zones that I do not.
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Cracker: Bloggers: Pr*cks, Ars*holes,…, in reply to Geoff Lealand,
links welcome
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I hope the Herald's journalists and editors can meet to discuss the points that these two lucid responses raise about their role and value in today's media landscape.
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Lord forbid that an independent commentator should fail to "please" the government. It's part of the doubtless sometimes difficult calibration of Armstrong's role that he may have to temper his commentary to maintain the confidence of all parties, and the governing ones in particular.
Gordon Campbell addresses this one explicitly in his response:
A more important reason is that over the past 30 years, the old tenets and work practices of ‘objective’ journalism have failed the public. (This 2003 essay by Brent Cunningham in the Columbia Journalism Review entitled “Re-Thinking Objectivity” is still highly relevant to this argument.)
The problem being, politicians and their spinmeisters have learned how to play the lazy ‘two sides to every story’ premise of so-called ‘objective journalism’ like a violin. In reality, there are far more than Two Major Party sides to every story, and the job of journalism should begin – not end – after the views of National and Labour have been sought. By and large it has been the blogosphere that has taken up the evaluative task that the mainstream media has abandoned, or lacked the gumption to pursue.
In my view, those tasks of Evaluative Journalism are as essential and as difficult, as anything done in the name of Objective Journalism, which is often a mechanical procedure. And a parasitical one, as often as not – highly dependent on those on whom it feeds, and careful to avoid incurring the displeasure of its hosts.
No, it does not mean that “anything goes” when it comes to the task of evaluation. The rules of fairness and accuracy still apply and if anything, are more to the fore. It is usually the “objective” journalism that tucks its half truths, deliberate exclusions and ideological premises carefully out of sight, before it comes to the table. By contrast on the blogosphere…you have to put the evidence on the page and make the process of evaluation as transparent as possible, if you’re going to win the readers’ trust.
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I would expect an apology to be tendered, at least in private.
And Mr Edwards seems due for one directly from Mr Armstrong, judging by what Bryce writes here:
I'm genuinely surprised by his vigorous critique of my work. In fact, I met him for coffee twice last month for amicable discussions about political journalism and commentary. I asked for feedback on my political roundup and specifically whether there was ever any ill-feeling in his office towards what I am doing. He replied that it was quite the opposite, and that he was a fan of the political roundup and found it 'incredibly useful'. I believe I have given Armstrong's political commentary the prominence it is due since my daily roundup began. No doubt our interpretation and view of politics differs at times, but the reference to 'bile and invective' leaves me at a loss to explain.
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Hard News: Yes, there is a Media3, in reply to WH,
He had a filibuster proof majority for less than two years
and boy did they waste it
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Hard News: Yes, there is a Media3, in reply to WH,
why Gore lost to Bush
not sure that's such a good example, alll things considered