The October 1, 2008 edition of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition featured an incredibly irritating self-exculpatory pity party of a story about why the media just can’t seem to do its job these days.
Apparently, journalism is hard.
Media Play Catch-Up To Lightning Pace Of News
by David Folkenflik
In normal times, you’d see front-page headlines on the appointment of a special prosecutor to consider charges against former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
In normal times, you’d see unrelenting media scrutiny of John McCain campaign manager Rick Davis’ work for mortgage companies caught up in the market meltdown. And there would be even more ferocious attention paid to each new gaffe served up by both major parties’ vice presidential candidates.
But these are not normal times.
Indeed they are not. These are abnormal times. In normal times, a distinguished news organization like NPR wouldn’t devote 3 minutes 48 seconds of air time to a puff piece that seeks to explain their shortcomings. They @#$%ing well would have used that time to report on the very things they seek to excuse themselves for not covering. Instead, in these abnormal times, NPR has elected to join the infotainment scrum and produce navel-gazing metacommentary like this as an alternative to the hard work of researching and reporting stories about political corruption, economic chaos, or any number of other stories that go unreported in favor of this nonsense.
“I don’t think anyone — including the people in charge — can make sense of what’s happening in the country right now,” says new-media guru Jeff Jarvis. He’s a consultant for several media companies, including The Washington Post, and a columnist for The Guardian. Jarvis says the media are simply overwhelmed by the news.
“It’s just too big and too complicated, and it requires both too much background and fundamental understanding about economics,” Jarvis says. “Also, we’re not sure whether we’re being told the whole story still, so we need people to look into things the way journalists do.”
If news outlets need people with background and fundamental understanding about economics (or any other issue) in order to fulfill their basic functions, they should @#$%ing well figure out how to get those people on staff, or forge relationships with experts in these areas who can provide the necessary context and commentary. Throwing up your hands in frustration and saying “Gee, you know, we’d love to do our job, but gosh wouldn’t you know we just can’t” is neither helpful nor honorable.
The breakneck pace of developments means a lot of news worth knowing receives the briefest burst of attention before being dropped for something hotter.
Think about it, says Alexis Glick, the vice president for business news at the new Fox Business Network and one of the anchors for its show, Opening Bell: The nation’s largest insurer is bailed out by the government; the largest savings and loan fails; the nation’s fourth-largest bank is sold for a dollar a share in a deal brokered by federal officials.
“If you talked about one of those things occurring in a year, that would be shocking,” Glick tells NPR. “Those things occurred in a two-week period. [That's] completely unprecedented.”
Perhaps the specifics are unprecedented, but the role of the media to report — and even explain — crises is nothing new. The reporters who had to cover the Great Depression certainly had limited context and background for their stories. The battlefield reporters of World War II had to make sense of chaos on a daily basis. While the stakes are comparatively much lower, sports reporters turn full fields of players into coherent narratives on a daily basis. It’s difficult. It’s often complex. It’s the point of the profession.
Glick says she feels compelled to read 200 pages of research each day when she arrives at work at 4:30 a.m. — and then has to keep track throughout the day.
What? A professional feels “compelled” to be informed about the realm of her alleged professional expertise? Out-@#$%ing-rageous! How can anyone be expected to actually do their job? That’s just crazy talk!
Many journalists say they are scrambling just to keep the headlines coming — and are chasing after the explanations, too. For now, the news appears to be outracing both.
Again, how fortunate that NPR is there with non-story story like this to help the news extend its already considerable lead over the media’s reporting capabilities. I’m so glad they took time away from all the important stories they could have been covering to deal with the vital business of insulting their listeners’ intelligence.
Posted by Bart Modern 
Posted by Bart Modern 
Posted by Bart Modern 