In an era when the Nobel Prize is given to charlatans like Al Gore, people will still thirst for the truth and they are not finding much of it in today's daily newspapers and news magazines.
I have been a member of the Society of Professional Journalists for more than twenty-five years. Not long ago they sent me a lapel pin to commemorate my devotion to the organization which has, I must admit, mostly consisted of paying my annual dues. I have long since lost my youthful enthusiasm for the profession, but not for writing.
Like Mark Twain, I drifted into journalism because I was seriously opposed to having to actually work for a living. One of Twain's classic quotes was, "Get your facts first and then you can distort them as much as you please." A pretty fair definition of journalism in his times and ours.
I began to have early doubts about the rigors of being a journalist when, three months after I joined the staff of a weekly newspaper, the first I had ever worked for, the editor moved on to a daily and I was anointed the editor. That's right. I went from rookie to head honcho in about 90 days. I virtually wrote that entire newspaper for well over a year or so and probably learned as much as any four-year curriculum at the Newhouse or Columbia School of Journalism. Then I moved on to a daily newspaper.
In the December issue of Quill, the SPJ magazine for its members, the new president, Dave Aeikens, used his page for a commentary titled, "Our profession is not dying, it's just changing." My thought was that he was making some cheerful remarks at a funeral. The name of the magazine tells you how outdated newspapers have become in a time when the digital version of your favorite source of news can be accessed in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
Indeed, Aeikens mentioned highly trafficked news websites such as CNN and the New York Times, but managed to neglect mentioning that Fox News was in the top ten. And therein lies the problem. The new media is so wedded to its liberal agenda that it can't even manage to mention that the newly indicted Governor of Illinois is a Democrat, but on the same day they did not fail to include that Larry Craig, the Senator who got into trouble for unseemly behavior in a men's room, is a Republican.
The game is up for the mainstream press. The Internet constantly reveals how they distort the news and how they print news that is too often unsubstantiated boldfaced lies such as telling us that global warming is real or that the U.S. can be "energy independent," or that "biofuels" made from food sources can replace gasoline, or that Barack Obama is a "centrist."
The problem is that too many people for whom CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, and similar liberal news outlets represent an accurate presentation of the world remain blissfully ignorant despite ample evidence that Congress has absolutely no idea what it can or should do as the latest burst economic "bubble" creates fear and panic. Thus, we are now hearing all the failed programs of the previous recessions and depressions being trotted out. Only the Republicans are opposing the most blatant raid on the public treasury in the history of the nation.
While news of failing daily newspapers is now a daily occurrence, permit me to suggest that the problem goes beyond the loss of classified advertising or slashed display advertising budgets. Certainly they play a major role, but the print newspapers have run slap-dash into a generation that has been rendered so ignorant of history, civics, science and other essential knowledge, and is so self-absorbed as to have entire web pages and blogs devoted to themselves and networks of other nitwits, that reading the daily newspaper is just so "yesterday."
That is why newspaper circulation and network news viewers are sliding into a black hole where real reporters and real editors are becoming obsolescent.
The question is whom do you trust? And why should anyone but a nitwit trust a news media that almost universally bought into and anointed Barack Hussein Obama as the "Messiah"? How can anyone trust news magazines that picture him on their covers as the new Lincoln or the new FDR before he has even served a day in the Oval Office?
"The role journalists play in democracy is far too important to give up on it," wrote Aeikens. He's right, of course. Real journalists retain their skepticism. Real journalists do not write news releases. They write the news — what they see and record — and that includes those aspects of the news with which they may personally disagree, but which must be reported anyway.
This is why commentators like myself are finding an audience searching, searching, searching for some facts on which we hang our particular take of what is occurring. We're the ones who, if we take ourselves seriously, actually document what we write.
Unlike myself who has a pedigree in journalism, most come to what they write based on expertise in many other areas of a very complex world.
I will predict that weekly newspapers will weather the storm breaking over the daily newspapers. The best news is always local news. Some smart fellow will set up a syndicate for news out of the state capital and feed the state's weeklies.
The dailies will struggle for a while. Not all will die, but those that survive will not look like the present dailies with their endless cautionary tales of everything toxic that will kill you and every member of your family. Events in far-off places will be reduced to a few paragraphs in a single section. There will be some gossip, the movie and television listings. And, always, the obituaries.
The Internet will provide just about everything you need to know. It will do it faster. It will do it better. It will offer what today's daily newspapers do not, a choice of whom to believe, not a predictable flow of recycled news releases and opinions.
In an era when the Nobel Prize is given to charlatans like Al Gore, people will still thirst for the truth and they are not finding much of it in today's daily newspapers and news magazines.
I remember using a slide rule in high school and delivering the newspaper to 100 homes out of 103 in my neighborhood after school. I wonder what today kids will remember in 40 years. Will it be the text message that they received from OHB on the selection of Joe Biden?
Thank you, Mr. Caruba. Insightful as always.
http://VocalMinority.typepad.com
The Jewish Republican’s Web Sanctuary
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed my obituary for many of today’s dailies. I hope most survive because I like my morning daily, but they just aren’t delivering real news much of the time anymore.
Alan,
It’s not just your profession. You’d expect my own profession (mechanical engineers specializing in HVAC) to have greater sense. Alas, however, we too have our share of climate-zombies; convinced of a world in crisis, and that it is our job (especially) to do the heavy lifting in saving it from the non-threat. It began, for us, with the ozone-hole hysteria, for which the HVAC industry was singled out as prime perpetrator. Since then (and despite the ozone hole is just fine), HVAC folks are especially susceptible to ‘heedless-of-the-environment’ criticisms, and tie ourselves in knots endlessly proving we are (now) environmental stalwarts. It is more common to find HVAC people signing up for every cause from CFC elimination to carbon-credits to costly high-maintenance weed-choked (aka, ‘sustainable’) roofs to preserving wet-lands (miasmal swamps) against encroachment. Pick up any trade journal and all you will find are articles, letters, and advertisements extolling the green-revolution and our role in it. It is also true of engineering generally, but HVAC is still reeling from the ozone-scare body blow.
Like you, I did not start out as a professional and, like you, am a long time dues paying member though minimally active, and find myself at odds with the environmental drift of these otherwise professional organizations; both of whom have (to their credit) advanced the state of engineering immensely over the past 1¼ centuries. Also, like you, I have recently received commemoratives marking years of loyal (dues paying) membership which I have recently considered dropping nonetheless. Back when I joined these venerable organizations, they were far more concerned with promoting and advancing the trade than interested in sideshows like ‘climate change’, but now, it seems, every article written must curtsy to the environment and represent ‘socially responsible engineering’ or else be branded a pariah. Letters-to-editors of professional periodicals are inundated with neophytes demanding we “do more for the environment”. For example, the September 2006 issue of Mechanical Engineering Magazine contained three letters by young engineers carping about the environment ( http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/membersonly/sept06/departments/letters/letters.html ), one of them so inane (Jessica Sarver’s) it elicited multiple responses (
http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/membersonly/jan07/departments/letters/letters.html, including one of mine).
To illustrate just how far this has gone, I reference ASHRAE’s electronic industry newsletter. This weekly digital-newsletter collects news items and ads from other (non-ASHRAE) publications of interest to HVAC people. Soon after it started, I noticed a trend in the items published. Almost without exception, they promote the environmental agenda and headline this advocacy. When I wrote to the editor regarding what to me seems an insupportable bias, he told me this was a byproduct of the material gathered from outside ASME, that the bias is, therefore, of non-ASHRAE origin; which he innocently repackages and forwards. I found this disingenuous and said so because the same bias is to be found in ASHRAE Journal (including articles vetted by ASHRAE for publication) and all over ASHRAE’s web-pages. It is further disingenuous because ASHRAE, as the premier industry source of news and opinion, is largely responsible for making environmentalism ‘mainstream’ within the profession. It is deeply reflected monthly in the Journal’s editorial comments. For example, this month’s editorial was titled ‘BACnet and Green’ and 3 out of 4 of the issue’s articles either promote environmental responsibility, green, sustainability, net-zero, LEED, protecting the environment, &c (or mention without challenging); all of which constitute unsupported value judgments having minimally to do with the subjects under discussion and appended more as environmental after-thoughts. Disappointed with the e-newsletter editor’s response, I did a survey of year’s worth of newsletter articles; out of which, only two barely hinted global-warming might be less than real. I then asked if I might submit an article of my own based on my researches into environmental bias, focusing on the deepening HVAC-industry bias and its causes. Their response was: they don’t originate articles; they only glean and reprint them. I mentioned I already had a couple of internet articles published on the topic of global-warming and discussing its appeal and corruption of individuals and professions alike, thinking these would, at least, merit consideration. Instead, I was informed they don’t meet newsletter guidelines (un-newsworthy, disparaging, not selling HVAC products). So, I tried submitting the article to ASHRAE journal which prints many articles promoting the environmentalist view, and of which organization I am “a long time and valued member”.
ASHRAE’s Editor-in-Chief sent me a very nice rejection letter. Here is what he wrote:
“Climate change is certainly a topical, contentious issue. The Journal has not published feature articles or letters on this topic, and I don’t think we should start here. Our mission is to advance the science of HVAC&R, which is mainly the creation of healthy, efficient and comfortable indoor environments.
I’m not sure if ASHRAE is developing a position document on climate change. If you’re interested, I’ll find out if this is being considered and who might be involved. I’m also copying Doug Read, who is in charge of ASHRAE’s government affairs office.
Thank you for your interest and taking the time to write.
Best Regards,”
That was the last I heard from him on the subject. While true ASHRAE has not published any feature article specifically addressing whether or not man-made climate-change is real, it has, by thousands of remarks, endorsements, and shared language, encouraged environmentalism and discouraged the healthy skepticism you would expect of a technically-oriented, professional organization deeply mired in the nuts-and-bolts of meeting the environmental challenge. He was also more than a little disingenuous as regards ASHRAE having a “position on climate change”. It has an environmentalism-positive position published on its website; and, the longtime editor of the Journal can hardly be unaware of that policy. Moreover, if it is the organization’s ‘mission’ to “advance the science of HVAC&R”, then oughtn’t there to be a vigorous discussion of the merits and demerits of climate-change theory, a theory that is powerfully driving the direction of HVAC&R industry to satisfy its unproven dictates? The only way the ASHRAE’s EoC can reconcile these statements is by acknowledging he is already convinced of climate-change and, therefore, believes it is that which ‘advances the science’.
You may have read the article I submitted to and had rejected by ASHRAE. Right after that, I submitted it to IC (with some slight adjustment for audience) who published it under the title “A Show of Hands : One Man’s Take on Climate Change Concensus” ( http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/02/27/a-show-of-hands-one-mans-take-on-climate-change-consensus/ ). It starts out with a collection of quotes, all of which were taken from the survey I did of the ASHRAE newsletter.
The dirty little secret is environmentalism is hugely profitable to those who swallow their integrity and get onboard. My profession and the HVAC industry is no different in this regard than the many climate professionals who find in environmental causes a deep well of grant money and journalism for which hysteria and hype are the life-blood of circulation.
Having designed blood gas instrumentation, I have to second Stapler’s remarks. Water, in the form of the earth’s oceans, absorbs prodigeous amounts of CO2, and is in fact the principle mechanism of removing CO2 from the body. Increased levels of CO2, rather than creating global warming, is the result of global warming as water releases disolved gases into the atmosphere. This is readily seen when boiling water. The “flat” taste of previously boiled water results from the gases, which gave the water its flavor, having been driven off. Surface temperatures have been directly linked to cloud cover, which in turn has been directly linked to the level of solar radiation, as radiation creates ionized nuclei around which water vapor condenses to form clouds.
“Ozone depletion” is another fraud perpetrated upon gullible environmentalists by Dow Chemical to create sales of inferior, unsafe replacements after its patent on Freon expired. The energy level of UVB radiation is the same as that needed to maintain a charge separation of 0.1″. If the ozone depletion contention that ozone “absorbs” UVB radiation were in fact correct, then, as a consequence, we would be seeing ozone molecules floating before our eyes. What really happens is that UVB beaks ordinary oxygen molecules into what is called free radicals, uncharged atoms of oxygen. These free radicals then combine with other oxygen molecules to form ozone molecules. Eventually two ozone molecules combine to form three ordinary oxygen molecules. The original UVB energy is dissipated in the motion of the resulting oxygen molecules creating heat.
Finally Alan’s prediction of the fate of daily papers has already occured with our own local daily, except that the local papers in our area have also dropped the TV listings. National and foreign news have been relegated to a back page in the sports section before the classifieds. Contrary to what Alan says, however, the internet has not provided me an acceptable substitute for the only remaining credible section of the daily paper, the comics.
Jonkon,
Like you, I once regarded the ‘comics’ section of print media their only saving virtue. No longer. I left off reading those once it became clear they are no more than liberal mouthpieces undifferentiable from newsprints’ editorials, but targeting the least ‘conscious’ of newsprint readers. I used to look forward to reading Blondie, Katzenjammer Kids, Lil Abner, Peanuts, Crock, &c for the simple pleasure they gave. More representative today, however, are Boondocks, Wizard of ID, Opus, Zippy, Curtis and Cathy; all of which are unapologetically liberal, PC, racist, feminist, amoral, seditious and rarely funny. The shift to ‘politicized’ comics began with Doonesbury in the late 1960s. Even that was okay as long as it remained humorous, but soon lost that ‘funny’ edge. Comics today are dry, humorless stuff directed at unsuspecting un-liberal stereotypes; more derogatory than funny. Most writers have an agenda they push, and play water-carrier for those with whom they empathize or conspire. The few comics still funny (without a strong agenda) are hardly worth the effort of sifting through the bilge to find.
To be fair, comics began as satire and have always been somewhat political. But, when politics dominates the writing, the product turns sour more than it entertains; else (given sufficient time and done gradually) gulls and sours the readership into group-think. At some point, it is no longer entertainment and has become merely a tool for manipulating and maintaining opinion. No, I can’t say there is any virtue or even entertainment left in newsprint comics; and more harm than good.
Bob
I think you are right. I used to read Lil Abner and Beatle Bailey every day, but my best memories are of “There Outta Be A Law”. The cartoon always poked fun at some human failing which nearly everyone could agree should be outlawed, but it was also with the understanding that in America these situations flourished because we are FREE. As soon as someone gets a petition drive going and a congressman puts it up for a vote it ain’t funny anymore.
Jonkon,
I you still want the syndicated comics, but without the print news, try:
http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/comics.htm
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