Like the Tears of a Texas Crocodile on Groundhog Day

Dan Rather is transitioning to his new job on the rubber chicken circuit by unleashing his inner Tom Coburn.

occasionally forcing back tears, he said that in the intervening years, politicians "of every persuasion" had gotten better at applying pressure on the conglomerates that own the broadcast networks. He called it a "new journalism order."

He said this pressure -- along with the "dumbed-down, tarted-up" coverage, the advent of 24-hour cable competition and the chase for ratings and demographics -- has taken its toll on the news business. "All of this creates a bigger atmosphere of fear in newsrooms," Rather said.

Whole boo-hoo here. My assessment of Rather as "one of journalism's all-time great self-flagellators, always eager to confess blame for the declining standards of the trade, always making sure to spread that blame out nice and thick on the rest of us…and always showing up on time to collect his seven-figure paycheck" … here.

Speaking of blubbery broadcasters, CNN is now officially unwatchable. Yesterday I almost spit up my avocado salad watching Wolf Blitzer A) attempt to emote, and B) confess to Jack Cafferty and his Beaver Brown Band that when he watches videotape from New Orleans* "sometimes I just get so mad" (quote from my memory*). And Anderson Cooper has now become what those guest artistes are on Kurt Andersen's precious Studio 360 NPR show -- people who the anchor asks, "So, what did you think about that?" Frankly, I'm more interested in the musings of Andersen's multimedia architect/bass players.

So, what did Dapper Dan think about his ex-comrades' Katrina performance? "They were willing to speak truth to power."

* UPDATE: Never trust my "memory." Alert reader Ken Basart points out that, "You know, CNN posts their transcripts. Way to do research, 'journalist'!" Turns out the Blitzer/Cafferty moment was about a new Al Qaeda videotape, and the exact Wolf quote is: "It's very frustrating. Every time we see one of these tapes, it gets me mad. I don't know if you can tell."

Comments

[joe]

I don't doubt that there is a lot of phony emoting on CNN now.

But I also don't doubt that the words and emotions of Cooper and Cafferty were genuine in the days after the storm. Maybe a jaded LA hipster could look around at the Convention Center and Superdome on Day K+$ without becoming genuinely outraged, but projection ain't just a skill you learn in the AV Club.

It would have been nice to see this distinction made at some point. But hey, throwing down the Marlboro, expelling a stream of smoke, and muttering "It's all just bullshit, man" works too.

[Phil]

Lots of mindreading going on here by both sides. Ten yards, replay of down.

[Matt Welch]

joe -- Hater! Actually, as I said elsewhere, I very much appreciated the emotion in the post-Katrina coverage, and I hope that the skeptical/rough treatment of gov't officials continues. But clearly they've gotten a Memo that says "emote all the time!", and I think the results three weeks later are pretty awful.

[gaius marius]

the thing i don't understand, mr welch, is why this upsets you. in the world of the dead gatekeeper, soap-opera reporting is the market response to the demands of the mass-market consumer. this is what you wished for. enjoy it!

[gaius marius]

or did you expect the virtuous common man to command the market to create for him an engine of truth, instead of an entertainment of convenient fictions?

[Evan Williams]

Joe,

Then let them cry like little girls when the motherfuckin' cameras are off. How is it that journalists, for the most part, suppressed this urge to emote on-air for so many years...but now, " projection ain't just a skill you learn in the AV Club."?

This is a pretty funny take on what the author calls "The Oprah School of Journalism".

My favorite line:

"In a Jeanne Moos piece (video link), CNN reporter Jean Meserve, explained it this way, ?I was a human more than I was a reporter.? The problem is that CNN was probably paying her more to be a reporter than a human. (?This is the biggest story of the year, get me our best humans and send them to New Orleans!?)

"However, if this line of reasoning takes hold it does open up some interesting possibilities. For example, you could use it at work: ?Well Mr. Hopkins, I guess that day I was being more of a guy surfing for porn than a data entry clerk.? Or Joe Biden could use it explaining that during the Roberts confirmation hearings he was being more of a presidential candidate than a senator."

[boldface mine]

On-Air journalists have been choking back the tears for decades, Joe, so, don't tell me that a jaded LA hipster is the only one who could make it through a goddamned newscast without shaking their fist angrily at the camera and sputtering expletives. Especially for the money their making. Stoic detachment, at least while the cameras are on, shouldn't be overtime pay for these six-figure bums. They choose to "let it all out", because it seems fashionable. Ugh.

[Evan Williams]

Sorry, da HTML farked up. The last paragraph shouldn't be italicized.

[Evan Williams]

Gaius,

Just because the market delivers something doesn't mean that one cannot criticize it on its face.

[theOneState]

Remember Wolf and Bernard Shaw, how they kept ducking while covering the Gulf War I? I can't believe CNN let them keep their jobs after that.

Too bad they didn't have any real reporters instead of those emotive Oprah School graduates.

But on the whole I agree w/ Matt...this populist reporting is kind of creepy.

[joe]

Matt,

Nothing but love for a former Tabloid.netter!

"But clearly they've gotten a Memo that says "emote all the time!", and I think the results three weeks later are pretty awful."

Yeah, I agree. Mickey Kaus apparently has some "smoking gun" memo from CNN brass telling the talent to keep turning on the outrage.

I just think there is too much interest from those in power in dismissing the genuine outrage the country felt about their failure in the aftermath of Katrina, and it's worthwhile to make sure the distinction is drawn, so as to avoid furthering their sleazy ass covering.

[Matt Welch]

gaius -- It doesn't "upset" me, really. I do wish there was a 24-hour news channel that showed more or less "straight" news (the way Headline News used to, before David Neuman got hold of it & turned it into Channel One Revisited). And I think/hope there's a market appetite for it, the way most large radio markets have a 24-hour news channel.

My advocacy for more point-of-view journalism has usually been focused on daily newspapers, especially as a way for new entrants to differentiate themselves from the trying-to-be-objective dominant daily.

[joe]

Evan, like the "embedded" reporters who turned into rah rah cheerleaders for their units, the reporters in New Orleans were actually stuck there, day in and day out, in the middle of the story they were covering. People were coming up to them and begging them for water, to call their kids, to rescue their dying relatives.

You keep a stiff upper lip by distancing yourself from the story. When that is not possible, stuff leaks out.

[Matt Welch]

theOneState -- There's actually a pretty decent little Michael Keaton movie about CNN's Gulf War I coverage.... Come to think of it, I really liked the other Keaton journalism movie, "The Paper," too.

[dead_elvis]

And let's not forget Nancy Grace. For some reason my wife finds it amusing that every time she comes on I start swearing at the TV. (disclaimer- she's the one watching CNN, not me!) It's enough to make me throw down a Marlboro, expelling a stream of smoke, and mutter "It's all just bullshit, man."

[ChicagoTom]

Just because the market delivers something doesn't mean that one cannot criticize it on its face

This is true. It's just hard to take the criticism serisouly when it comes from the same people who think that "the market solution" is the best solution to everything. It tends to come off as: the market solution is the best until the market does creates a situation that *I* think is absurd, then I will ridicule the market solution for whatever reason I see fit.

[ChicagoTom]

Just because the market delivers something doesn't mean that one cannot criticize it on its face

This is true. It's just hard to take the criticism serisouly when it comes from the same people who think that "the market solution" is the best solution to everything. It tends to come off as: the market solution is the best until the market creates a situation that *I* think is absurd, then I will ridicule the market solution for whatever reason I see fit.

[the_thesaurus]

Gaius,

Your cumbruous verbiage does little to obscure your facile and vacuous cerebration.

[jf]

I found it far more telling when Wolf Blitzer described the victims of Hurricane Katrina as "so poor... so black...".

[Number 6]

I'm amazed that anyone is still surprised by the silliness of television "news."

[Matt Welch]

It's just hard to take the criticism serisouly when it comes from the same people who think that "the market solution" is the best solution to everything.

If you could point to a single time I have written or even hinted at such a statement, that would be helpful.

[MikeP]

And let's not forget Nancy Grace. For some reason my wife finds it amusing that every time she comes on I start swearing at the TV.

My yelling at the TV has decreased immeasurably since I adopted the following rule:

Never watch a news program where the producers care that I know who the anchor is.

Blahbity Blah with Whosits is the surest sign that the show is about Whosits and not about the news. And I will yell at Whosits until he or she stops being him or her self and starts telling me some damn news!

[Evan Williams]

Chicagotom: I love how people grossly mischaracterize others' platform in order to have grounds on which to attack it. As Matt asks, why don't you point out where not only he, but any other Reason writer, has proclaimed that the market is the solution to "everything"? The market isn't the solution to me cleaning up my backyard---the solution is me getting off my ass and doing it.

Saying that the free market is often better at addressing widespread issues than government jackboots are, does not equate to "markets are the solution to everything!" Come on, man...

[Evan Williams]

Joe:

"You keep a stiff upper lip by distancing yourself from the story. When that is not possible, stuff leaks out."

But this isn't isolated to reporters who happened to be stuck in NO and were forced to witness this crap every day. Nor is it isolated to the Katrina disaster coverage. This is a widespread trend, and it transcends those reporters who are in the thick of "it".

But, let's say, merely for the sake of your argument above, that it WAS only the reporters who were stuck there that got emotional on-air. How long are they on the air each day? A few minutes, at most? Are you telling me that they can't dry their eyes and clear their throat for those few minutes, and go on weeping and being angry for the other 23 hours and 55 minutes of the day? Horseshit.

They choose to do this on-air; they could very well straighten up their act for the few seconds they're in front of the cameras.

[Tom Crick]

"It's very frustrating. Every time we see one of these tapes, it gets me mad. I don't know if you can tell."

I can't tell.

[Number 6]

Matt Welch-My comment wasn't directed at you, in particular. However, you did see fit to post about Brokaw, and the comments indicate that a lot of people do take TV news fairly seriously.
As I've said in other threads, I've worked side by side with a number of TV reporters, and my derision towards them is based on personal experience. They invariably get the story wrong, and base their lede on the goriest or most emotional details they can find. With rare exceptions, (Blitzer in Gulf 1 jumps to mind) what they do is not journalism, and not worthy of notice.

[Number 6]

Matt Welch-My comment wasn't directed at you, in particular. However, you did see fit to post about Brokaw, and the comments indicate that a lot of people do take TV news fairly seriously.
As I've said in other threads, I've worked side by side with a number of TV reporters, and my derision towards them is based on personal experience. They invariably get the story wrong, and base their lede on the goriest or most emotional details they can find. With rare exceptions, (Blitzer in Gulf 1 jumps to mind) what they do is not journalism, and not worthy of notice.

[Number 6]

That should have been Rather, not Brokaw. Apologies for the double post.

[Krybo Amgine]

Showy displays of journalistic outrage on TV is the new black.

[thoreau]

Announcement of Gathering in the DC Area
This is a thread-jack. If you do not cooperate we will unleash the wrath of Allah on your server!....oh, wait, never mind.

Anyway, in light of how successful the other gatherings have been, Mr. Nice Guy and I are looking to have a gathering in the DC area, any weekend from Oct. 28 through mid-December.

Here's how it works:
-If you're interested, contact me. The address is real if you remove the part about spam.
-Let me know which weekends you can meet in the DC area. If you aren't sure of your schedule but want to be on the mailing list for the event, just send me an email and I'll keep you in the loop.
-Most popular weekend wins.
-I'm fairly new to the area, so if you have a suggested venue, preferably near a Metro stop, let me know that too.

I'm thinking an evening, preferably a Saturday, but whatever time works for the most people is what we'll do. Mr. Nice Guy and I will try to organize a trip to the shooting range (in Maryland, not DC, obviously) in the afternoon before the event for those who are interested. Both of us live near Metro stations and can probably take in somebody who wants to crash.

Also, Smacky is coming to DC for a wedding Oct. 14-16. I'm busy that weekend, her schedule with the wedding is kind of busy, and I figure that the shorter notice might not work for those wanting to come from out of town, but if somebody is interested in putting something together, you might want to get in touch with her and see who else is interested.

[Stevo Darkly]

Just because the market delivers something doesn't mean that one cannot criticize it on its face

This is true. It's just hard to take the criticism serisouly when it comes from the same people who think that "the market solution" is the best solution to everything. It tends to come off as: the market solution is the best until the market does creates a situation that *I* think is absurd, then I will ridicule the market solution for whatever reason I see fit.

But that's one of the good things about the market. If you don't like one of its products you can not only ignore that product, you can complain about it, you can try to pursuade other people not to like it and ignore it, and maybe cause it to go away. It was a lot easier to get rid of New Coke, the Yugo and the McDLT than it was to get rid of mohair subsidies.

[joe]

'But this isn't isolated to reporters who happened to be stuck in NO and were forced to witness this crap every day. Nor is it isolated to the Katrina disaster coverage. This is a widespread trend, and it transcends those reporters who are in the thick of "it".'

I agree, wholeheartedly. This has clearly become a cynical ploy on the part of the news producers. Emotion only counts when it's real. I was trying to point out that very distinction in my earlier posts.

Still, I consider much of what I saw in that first week - Shep Smith, Anderson Cooper, and others - be be among the best television journalism I've ever seen.

[Hakluyt]

The few times I've watched CNN recently I wondered what that Cafferty guy was there for.

[joe]

"They choose to do this on-air; they could very well straighten up their act for the few seconds they're in front of the cameras."

Maybe, maybe not. How many days have spent surrounded by desperate wretches, watching them suffer?

But even if the reporters could, why should they?

[matt]

"The few times I've watched CNN recently I wondered what that Cafferty guy was there for."

Comic relief?

[joe]

Hating on Wolf Blitzer unites all Americans. Atriods hate Blitzer. Freepers hate Blitzer. Libertoids hate Blitzer.

But you've got to hand it to him - he was pushing phoney emotion when lesser journalists were still constrained by the real thing.

[robert]

hakluyt,

what do you mean " what is that cafferty guy there for"?

who's gonna pick up his check?

[Shelby]

or did you expect the virtuous common man to command the market to create for him an engine of truth, instead of an entertainment of convenient fictions?

Gaius, dude, didn't you get the memo? We tasked that to you when you were out of the room. Better get your butt in gear!

[Number 6]

I somehow completely misread Matt Welch's comment and took it as referring to my comment about television journalism. Looking at it, I have no earthly idea how that happened. Call it temporary psychosis, or a short-term, but complete, collapse of reading comprehension skills. Either way, sorry about that.

[theOneState]

Spit it out, Mr. Welch...one letter at a time...M-a-r-k-e-t F-a-i-l-u-r-e. (It starts getting hard when you reach the "l"....)

Seriously, shouldn't your dream news network happen given the gazillion satelite and cable channels? Maybe there's not enough real human talent to make it work? (Hard to believe...I've seen lots of good local broadcast reporting everywhere I've lived.)

I miss Headline News but it too got very repetitive.

What do you think of the Examiner? It does have a lot of cut-and-paste wire stories, but the DC Examiner is pretty darn good overall and, maybe b/c of it's newness it feels more like a newspaper than an institution.

(Note: I tried to post it yesterday w/ no luck. Hope it's still in context.)

[matt]

theOneState:

"Market failure," in a free market, doesn't exist. It's a term used mostly by those who don't like what the market outcome is, or those that like to compare the market outcome to some utopian "perfectly competitive" solution drawn on a blackboard.

[theOneState]

matt, don't worry, I'm not proposition a "solution" to the "problem".

But I'm not simply complaining about an outcome I don't like, either...I'm looking for an explanation of why a desired good is not provided under circumstances that would seem to provide for it in this (non-theoretical) market.

The concept of market failure is useful, even under real circumstances and even by folks not proposiing to "do something" to correct it. To say that it doesn't exist in a truly free market is sort of besides the point.

In this case there seems to be demand, easy entry, and minimal costs...and still no service.

[matt]

Fair enough, OneState (we do have a few around these parts that would advocate government doing something, so it's hard to tell sometimes.)

It seems to me that either there is a profit opportunity, which we would expect an entrepreneur to exploit, or that the costs do, in fact, exceed the perceived benefits of such a channel.

[theOneState]

I assume the latter, but it's hard to believe. Too bad there's not someone MATT WELCH around here MATT WELCH who is more familiar with MATT WELCH the economics of journalism.