'Ain't No Liberal'

Friday, June 25, 2004

(A song written by Roy Zimmerman and recorded by the Foremen, who were the '90s version of the Limelighters. Interestingly, Andy Corwin played bass for both bands. Check out the lyrics here: Roy Zimmerman Fan Site -- though they have little to do with the rest of this. So sue me.)

I've been a reporter, editor and photographer for newspapers for the better part of the last 20 years, and as such I'm a staunch defender of freedom of the press. But it bugs the hell outa me when people -- particularly those who work in the news media -- bandy about that phrase as if it were carte blanche to usurp the rights of others.

A recent thread at a newspaper forum I frequent (Testy Copy Editors) deals with photos published in some papers of the grieving family of Kim Sun-il, the Korean hostage killed this week by Islamic militants in Iraq. The thread has two basic points: the news value of such photos and the right of photojournalists to document what many would call a private moment.

I won't start a debate here on this particular issue (I might join one, but I'm not gonna start it). I bring this up only to point out that decisions by editors on what to put in their newspapers -- from a four-column photo to a single freakin' word in a headline -- are often met with, and followed by, argument among those who make the photos and write the words. Such decisions do not come easily, believe me, and there's no hard-and-fast rule that applies -- except maybe the one that goes "It's easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission."

I've been asked, "What qualifies you to be the guardian of the news? What gives you license?" It's not an unfair question, and I've struggled a bit with it. The automatic response is "education," but that's not a satisfactory answer. Most people know someone with an MBA who can't parse a sentence. (By the same token, I can't balance my checkbook without calling Roto-Rooter.)

Truth be told, I don't have a good answer -- at least not one that satisfies me. All I know is, good journalists have a passion for news, whether it's war and government scandals and terror attacks or city council meetings and Veterans Day celebrations in the town square. We're passionate about getting it right, but when it's all written and done we're left with the nagging feeling that we could've, somehow, done a better job of it.

And there's always this, from Robert Duvall as grizzled newspaper editor Bernie White in "The Paper": "I've been in this business 30 years, and every day you start from scratch."

(He might've said "from nothin'." If you've got the DVD handy, let me know. I hate misquoting anybody.)

Anyway -- I was gonna post this near the top; so it goes -- here's an example of "liberal media": Boston Herald.

No, the media isn't "liberal." But it's folly to deny that instances of liberalism exist in it.

By the way... why is Cheney's f***ing around </satire> even a story? The Washington Post made a pretty big deal of it, though they "buried" it on page A4 (Washington Post -- you'll need a login and password). If you read to the last paragraph (or jump to it), you'll see that it isn't a story:

"There is no rule against obscene language by a vice president on the Senate floor. The senators were present for a group picture and not in session, so Rule 19 of the Senate rules -- which prohibits vulgar statements "unbecoming a senator" -- does not apply, according to a Senate official. Even if the Senate were in session, the vice president, though constitutionally the president of the Senate, is an executive branch official and therefore free to use whatever language he likes."

I'm all for calling politicians onto the carpet of public opinion... when they deserve it. This is nothing but a playground spat.

Y'gotta love this part, though:

"As it happens, the exchange occurred on the same day the Senate passed legislation described as the 'Defense of Decency Act' by 99 to 1."

Wonder who the 1 was.

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