Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Senator Al Would Pretty Please Like Journalists To Do Their Fucking Jobs



Conspicuously absent from this little colloquy were most of MSNBC's most egregious serial offenders against journalism.

But I'm sure once they get word that Senator Al would like them to quit shitting all over the basic principles of their profession, they'll give up their profitable sinecures --
In the rank sweat of an enseamèd bed,
Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love
Over the nasty sty
—and get back to the business of bravely afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted.

I'll be over here, waiting.

10 comments:

Dave McCarthy said...

"It's a fair challenge."

yeah, no shit!

2xFooled said...

Did you see how fast they shut that conversation down?
Time was up for Al.

ervin said...

i still have'nt heard any one mention flint water.when a whole city has been poisoned one would think it could be talked about.

bluicebank said...

This sad state of affairs was the main reason I left the once-storied 4th Estate. It was like being a carpenter for an industry that shifted its focus to plastic. Or as Don Henley sang, "We all know that crap is king."

The reason today's journalists aren't doing their job is because they aren't journalists. Those people left or got fired a long time ago.

dinthebeast said...

When I saw him say that last night, I thought wow, Driftglass could have said that...

-Doug in Oakland

Robt said...

I too caught this with Al.
The giggling news commenters were briefly annoyed. Which reminded me of a quote by Mark Twain.
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig"


Asking the media to defend the facts. Not allowing a lie. = teaching

Performing journalism and reporting the lie = singing

Hog trough media for pay check = the pig

They were annoyed and they changed the subject immediately (annoyed and time wasted.

Not much discussion to Al's statement/ plea.

But news has been entertainment for for profit for too long.

bowtiejack said...

The last time I checked, graduates of Columbia Journalism School went overwhelmingly to PR firms rather anything to do with journalism.
Which gives me a chance to use my favorite quote:

"As one digs deeper into the national character of the Americans, one sees that they have sought the value of everything in this world only in the answer to this single question: how much money will it bring in?”
Alexis de Tocqueville
letter to Ernest de Chabrol. June 9, 1831

Dave McCarthy said...

@bluicebank Not to dismiss Mr Henley, but FZ excoriated the press in his '65 song "Trouble Every Day", 20 years before "dirty laundry" and in more in memorable fashion:

"You can cool it you can heat it cause baby I don't need it take your TeeVee tube and eat it
all the phony stuff on sports and all the unconfirmed reports
you know I watched that rotten box until my head begin to hurt
Checking out the way the newsmen say they get the dirt
before the guys on channel so-and-so and further they'll assert
that any show they interrupt to bring you news when it comes up
they say that if the place blows up they will be the first to tell
because they boys they got downtown are working hard and doing swell
and if anybody gets the news before it hits the street
they say that no one blabs it faster their coverage can't be beat
and if another woman driver gets machine-gunned from her seat
they'll send some joker with a Brownie you can see it all complete..."

RUKidding said...

Only thing out there are highly compensated whores and shills for the 1% corporate owners. Facts? Who gives a shit?

Free your mind, toss out your tv.

Robt said...

You think it is a requirement in Journalistic classrooms to watch the movie, "Network"?