DON HENLEY, NATIONAL MEDIA VULTURES AND THE GREAT FLOOD OF '08
The songwriter Don Henley has produced so many piercing lyrics that it's difficult to single out just one as his best. But, as it applies to current events, "Dirty Laundry" is difficult to beat. It is a song about what feeds the media beast. It is all the more prescient because it was really written before today's multi-media 8 hour news cycle. If you haven't listened to it, download it and play it. Then consider what follows.
Everybody was all excited about Rick Sanchez, Al Roker and all the other usual supsects being in town a week or so ago. For my part, I thought it was a better event that Michelle Kosinski was here, but that's just a matter of taste.
Why were those folks here? They weren't here to help us. They weren't here to tell noble stories of human struggles against nature. They were here to be first when The "Car Crash" happened. They wanted breaking disaster news. They wanted Cedar Rapids pictures. They wanted what CNN got in '93: The best of all worlds, a flood in West Quincy with a burning Tank floating on top of it--Flood and Fire at the same time.
Yes, I concede that the nationwide publicity got us some volunteers and some money but, frankly, that came mostly from early wire service stories and flyover coverage anyhow. It is difficult to believe that Al Roker's waders brought us any help. The National Media is the guy who goes to the Indy 500 to see a crash death or to a bull fight to see the Matador gored and bleeding out.
As much as our local media, traditional and non-traditional, gets blasted in the blogosphere, they have had our backs here. Of course they will cover the "car crash" if it happens but they are not at the race for the sole purpose of seeing an incendiary death.
So I guess thanks are in order to the National Media Vultures for showing us the worth of our relatively responsible local outlets. Don Henley pretty much knew all along.
posted by UMRBlog @ 08:07
9 comments
9 Comments:
But Al Roker ate at Tiramisu!
I'm waiting for the 'economic impact of the national media visits' story.
And a lose for your side and your judges. Go Obama!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080626/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_guns
0941,
Some of us actually think the Bill or Rights is a fairly cool thing and should be scrupulously observed by courts. See, the same belief system that says "incommunicado at Guantanamo" is constitutionally unacceptable dictates that same deference be given to the one and only piece of personal property which the drafters thought enough of to actually put into the constitutional amendments.
That's probably difficult for you to process because you think of this stuff in terms of left and right, bit it's really pretty logical.
TYFCB
It's a pretty basic right you're willing to take a chance on forfeiting with your vote for Obama.
Which other fairly cool things are you willing to role the dice on?
Even though you are the smartest guy on the local blogs, it's not difficult for me to process.
It wasn't your intellect I was calling into question. If you took it that way, I'm truly sorry.
What I questioned was your approach. If you look at constitutional questions on the grid of current day left/right politics, the fundamental nature of some rights is lost based upon the political filters.
You say you can move beyond that. I accept that and apologize for my inelegant language in that sentence.
I'm not sure I want to give up any of the "fairly cool" constitutional guarantees. That's kind of why the Dongster makes me nervous and I'm not real sure about Alito. They seem to buy into the notion that one has to give up some liberty to obtain security. That's not what the Great Document says.
TYFCB
Uncle Tony, there' no such thing as bad pub!
Emily Powers 8 over, T for 152nd. lets hope Friday is good for her.
I not only brought local media to the Sh*t ..........but forced local media to put in a hard days work .
From that local media got 1 front page story and most likey more to follow .
Local media also has eaten like a KING , which we notice local media hits HQ at breakfast , lunch , and dinner ..........
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
:)
First of all, "Dirty Laundry" has to be one of the greatest songs ever recorded. And it's TV specific, which makes it even better, and you can relate it to the local level.
I get this a lot when going to court. People think I'm just there to cover the car crash, think I'm there to wreck the family's good name, etc. The blustering lawyer who recently accused me of being at a hearing of being there to "create a circus" missed the point entirely and didn't know the law, but that's another story.
Just a job. Wouldn't be there if I didn't have to be. I'm sure NBC folks say the same thing.
But I will say this. Covering the flood has been an amazing if grinding experience. I have met some of the most amazing people. I have a much better perspective for the 1993 flood (more on that next month, as you well know ABC).
Thanks for the good post.
"Got the bubble headed bleach blonde, comes on at 5 ...."
Rodney Hart
Thanks for your comment and I'm in agreement with most of your views.
With the National Beast, though, look at where they position themselves. I'm not even talking about the talent. In the webcabletext age, the "car crash" feeds the beast. You just go to the same court houses based upon what's scheduled there. You don't make the schedules. These guys do a probability study of where the car crash or the the kidnapped, young, white woman (preferably blond) is most likely to downside.
It's not the same here where the same two teams play next week.
Yeah, it is a great song. When you bring it up everybody sings the same rif, too. Never in a high enough voice, either. What it must have been like in Lubbock when those guys were coming up. Wow!
TYFCB
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