Category Archives: magazine
What's Not Being Quoted Enough In The Obama-Dowd-Geffen Bruhaha
 
Ah, the joys of cutting-and-pasting. 🙂
Seen this full paragraph in the much-referred-to Dowd column?
They [The Clintons and Geffen] fell out in 2000, when Clinton gave a pardon to Marc Rich after rebuffing Geffen’s request for one for Leonard Peltier. “Marc Rich getting pardoned? An oil-profiteer expatriate who left the country rather than pay taxes or face justice?” Geffen says. “Yet another time when the Clintons were unwilling to stand for the things that they genuinely believe in. Everybody in politics lies, but they do it with such ease, it’s troubling.”
And then there’s the full Obama response:
“We aren’t going to get in the middle of a disagreement between the Clintons and someone who was once one of their biggest supporters. It is ironic that the Clintons had no problem with David Geffen when was raising them $18 million and sleeping at their invitation in the Lincoln bedroom. It is also ironic that Senator Clinton lavished praise on Monday and is fully willing to accept today the support of South Carolina State Sen. Robert Ford, who said if Barack Obama were to win the nomination, he would drag down the rest of the Democratic Party because he’s black.” (My italics.)
Fifteen Years Later During Sweeps/Black History Month, CNN Discovers Excesses In HipHop :)
 
The usual CNN simplicity. I’m glad that Zahn was open enough, at least, to include voices like Roland Martin, Chuck D, Michael Eric Dyson, Tim Wise, Keith Boykin, Byron Hurt, etc.
I don’t think it’s nitpicking to say that it would have been better if the author-talking-head roster had included some bonifide hiphop feminists.
It also could have included a comment from Paul Porter (although Roland, to his credit, kept trying to go in that direction), but perhaps that would have cut too close to home. (Perhaps folks like Paul have to write books and/or produce documentaries to get in the national-broadcast guest booker “mix.” Sad reality.)
The show’s online if you missed it—AND WANT TO PAY FOR IT. Hmmm…….. CNN’s not exploiting Blaxploitation during Black History Month, is it? 🙂
A Journalistic Truth, Now 40 Years Away From Newark And Detroit
“WORD ON JOURNALISM–Friday, Feb. 16, 2007
On journalistic activism:
I’m an activist, and I’ll tell you why. If every citizen had to go through what we went through as reporters, going out and covering poor people, black people, murders, strikes, all that Dickensian underside of American life, they would become biased toward activism.”
   –John Chancellor, TV newsman, 1996 (1927-1996)* * * * *
TODAY’S WORD ON JOURNALISM is a free “service” sent to the 1,500 or so misguided subscribers around the planet. If you have recovered, send “unsubscribe.” Or if you want to afflict someone else, send me the email address and watch the fun begin. (Disclaimer: I just quote ’em; I don’t necessarily endorse ’em. In theory, all contain at least a kernel of insight.) Responses and rebuttals welcome.* * * * *
Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting Stuff
Utah State University“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” –Tom Stoppard, playwright
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A Picture Posted For No Legitimate Reason :)
Guess you heard who’s on the SI Swimsuit Issue cover. I’d like to make some comment about how this represents some level of “progress” in terms of Blacks and media, but of course I won’t go there. 🙂
A Short Note On Writing :)
I was talking recently to my friend, the writer Judy Dothard Simmons. I had mentioned to her that the book above, one of my favorite books of all time, had described a magazine article as a collaboration between a writer and an editor. Simmons responded that writing in general is a collaboration between a writer and HELL. Truer words. 🙂
No Words Necessary Here—Coming Attractions For May
Oooooooooo………. 🙂
The Story Of A Lanky Lawyer From Illinois
So Barack claims Lincoln, even if the reverse wouldn’t have happened if Lincoln’s life depended on it? Ah, the African-American experience. 🙂
Oh, and before you celebrate too much…… 🙂
Meanwhile, my friend and boss Bill believes that The Obama Phenomenon is really about whites feeling completely comfortable with their consolidation of power. I couldn’t agree more.Â
Even Though It's Just Temporary……
…….I’ve got to admit I like the idea of this.
Yeah, I know that the picture’s too tiny. It’s an image of the Black Panther and Storm slumming in New York with two well-known Fantastic friends in a famous flying bathtub.
It’s a homage to this famous cover from the early 1960s:
I look forward to The “New” Fantastic Four in both Black Panther No. 27 and Fantastic Four No. 544.
How Many White Reporters Who Didn't Go To Vietnam Got To Be Famous Names Today :)
National Public Radio’s “The Diane Rehm Show” had an interesting hour today. I’m glad guest host Susan Page (easily the best Rehm substitute host) brought up the Black press. The discussion would have been much fuller if Page and/or the authors had pointed out the virtually all-white newsrooms that professionally housed these admittedly brave 1960s reporters.
