We can't trust mainstream media to be a watchdog of the government for the people, so we have to do that for ourselves.
Dana Loesch, Mamalogues and host of The Dana Show

The media typically withholds names of rape victims to protect the privacy of that person. Except when it serves a higher purpose, like ratings or ad revenues.

Last week the New York Times published the name of a CIA specialist, against his wishes and the wishes of the CIA. Now how did the NYT feel about Valerie Plame’s name being made public? Oh yeah, they raised hell.

Apparently it’s different when the NYT wants to do it. They published this man’s real name, now leaving him open to any nut who is politically opposed to the CIA, thinks the CIA tortures people and wants to avenge the terrorist dude with the grossly hairy back, or just anyone who wants to send hate mail or harass his kids.

Their reasoning? It added credibility to the story.

Does that mean every story that relies on anonymity has no credibility? Woodward and Bernstein might disagree. Read more…

It took Farrah Fawcett’s battle with cancer being splattered all over the media to find out that hospital employees in Los Angeles have been selling celeb medical records. It gets worse. It seems that a number of hospitals have “medical professionals” working both sides: working their day jobs as “medical professionals,” and by night, being on tabloid payrolls.

In my world, that’s called being a snitch and it’ll get you a lot more than a day in jail plus a fine. Let’s just say these people ought to be glad I’m not Farrah’s best friend. I’m talking a blanket party, and if you don’t know what that is, it’s because you’re not from the Midwest. Read more…

It goes like this: Entertainment Tonight, the show that’s basically a big butt kiss to the stars, got a fake email that said Brad and Angelina had their twins. (Does that bring the number of children they have up to 100 yet? Wake me when they reach that mark.) They said it was confirmed she’d birthed the babies.

True, nobody really cares about ET the show, but Associated Press picked up on it and repeated it. And then because AP is so credible (hahaha), other media picked it up, and before you know it, it’s all true. Angelina birthed them babies.

Except it wasn’t true, and now the LA Times proclaims ET was “victimized.”

WHEN DID BAD REPORTING become victimization???

How about this instead: you all need to suck it up and say “We should be reporting real news instead of this mess. And we’re all a bunch of dumbasses for playing what used to be called the telephone game and calling it hard news.”

I knew it had to be: there are issues besides electroshock in which the media uses a template. Roger Kimball has sorted it out:

1. Prissy introductory sentence or two noting that Mr. McCain has a reputation [read “unearned reputation”] for taking the ethical high road on issues like campaign finance reform.

2. “The-Times-has-learned” sentence intimating some tort or misbehavior.

3. A paragraph or two of exposition that simultaneously reveals that a) Mr. McCain actually didn’t do anything wrong but b) he would have if only the law had been different and besides everyone knows he is guilty in spirit.

A couple of months ago, I started a content analysis of media stories on shock. I need to finish that, because it looked like I wasn’t off-base when I said mainstream media (okay, alternative media as well) tends to follow a template when it comes to shock articles.

That’s just plain fun that Roger Kimball has figured out the NY Times’ blueprint so well. Love it!

This poor old paper needs to be put out of its misery, but I think it will hang on until its last breath. The paper has become a caricature of itself and most people know it. What’s sad is that the only people who care are other media people. The general public stopped reading the paper long ago.

How long until they put out a press release that Bill Keller has gone on to bigger and better things? Then we’ll find him hanging out at Dan Rather’s station (that nobody watches) and maybe an occasional desperate appearance on the Letterman show.

My standard acknowledgment: Dan Rather was my rock star…and then he screwed it all up because he had a boner for GWB. I understand the chub, but I’ll never understand the recklessness, especially in the twilight of a stellar career.

Bill Keller pitched a tent, too, but his was for McCain. Big yawn, just another wanker who seems very pathetic. New York Times will probably give him a certificate to hang on his wall just before they send out the press release.

It didn’t take long at all for lawmakers, pundits and citizens to start calling for increased gun control and increased crazy control. I’m hopeful it will be a lot of talk and screeching, but in the end, not much will change. That’s the Washington way. Not surprisingly, the gun debate is divided along traditional lines. Those who oppose guns still do, and those who believe in gun rights, well, they’re focusing on crazy control. Read more…