As we promised yesterday, we're beginning to dive a bit deeper into the disasters in Japan today - though we're still going to push a deeper discussion of nuclear power off one more day, as we wait to see a bit more stabilization of the situation in Sendai. Simply put, we need more research into such a complicated subject.
We also are treating this story with a bit more respect as we almost feel an obligation to offset the actions of others in our broader media community.
To say that some members of the media have been treating the multiple ongoing disasters in Japan with less respect than the circumstances call for is both sad and unsurprising.
For our part, we'll continue to refer you to the Japanese Red Cross, to Google's people finder, and to any other aid organization you think is worthy and able of taking your assistance, and passing it on the people in Japan. God forbid any combination of disasters ever befalls our nation at the same level of destruction and devastation like the Japanese people are now suffering.
It's that same wish not to add insult to injury that makes us choose our words more carefully when we discuss this catastrophe. Not everyone in the media follows our lead.
We don't often lend any pixels to seriously discuss the more obnoxious members of our media fraternity because, frankly, we think they embarrass and defile themselves more than enough without us having to point out their flaws in further detail.
Yet some in the infotainment media did just that yesterday, for reasons that still escape us.
We would hope that if a cataclysmic event like what is going on in Japan ever happened here in America, that media personalities in other countries would never insinuate that maybe GOD was sending these disasters to kill our people - as Glenn Beck did already, or as Pat Robertson did last year with Haiti, and Jerry Falwell did with 9/11.
We would hope that the Japanese or European versions (if, God forbid, they actually exist) of Rush Limbaugh would not say that some segments of the media were hoping whatever our disaster was got worse, with "a nuclear meltdown" or some other heinous action.
We're aware you've probably heard similar comments by these sad media windbags over the years. You may even have heard them so frequently that you now ignore them, as with the taunts of schoolyard bullies who no longer have any power over other kids. If that's indeed the case with you, we applaud you for being able to ignore the screeching fearmongers.
The size and scope of the right-wing media megaphone far outweighs anything comparative on the left these days - so not everyone finds it easy to ignore that much hatred and vitriol.
In the midst of a massive destructive event like what's happening in Japan right now, the proper thing to do is urge help, look at what may have caused the problems, and investigate what might be done to prevent another similar tragedy elsewhere. With a catastrophe like this, it's what they call in the Navy an "All hands on deck" event. This is not the time for partisans on either side of the political divide to be blasting vile hatred, or blaming others - even in jest - for such destructive natural acts.
Yet some of our media brethren have chosen to do just that.
If some right-wing media followers wonder why so many on the left look upon their media heroes with such distain… In the face of Japan's suffering, today's commentary and links should be all those wondering need to have their questions answered.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Disasters, Real Or Imagined
Among the things we did this past weekend, we watched, listened, and read about the multiple disasters going on in Japan over the last several days. To say things in Japan are hellish right now is an understatement of massive proportions. It began with one of the top five earthquakes ever recorded by the USGS, followed by multiple nuclear power disasters, and as some kind of cruel cosmic cherry on top, a volcanic explosion in Southern Japan.
Our hearts go out to the people there, and we recommend that if you haven't done something to help those poor folks, that you chip in now, at somewhere like the Japanese Red Cross or another aid organization.
With all of those horrors happening in Japan, you might think we'd focus our commentary today on nuclear power, or the folly of man trying stop Mother Nature.
We'll leave that for tomorrow.
Today, we wanted to point out a difference we'd noticed in the short transition between the middle and end of last week, surrounding the media coverage of so-called major events.
In case you missed the links we provided last week, there were a couple of personnel turnovers at NPR of high-level NPR staff members after a hidden camera video and editing hack job was released last week. This video was obtained by a convicted criminal, who is also a far-right wing propaganda blogger. For at least a couple of days, it was a hard story to miss, as many of our colleagues in the media fell over themselves to cover a story we felt wasn't that significant.
Some in the media covered the NPR story as though it were almost as important as the disasters in Japan. While the coverage level wasn't exactly equal, it was too often disappointingly close at some media outlets we monitor.
That, in a nutshell, is the problem.
The first thing that ANY legitimate media - and especially NEWS media - should have done when the partisans on the right first began pushing the NPR scandal story as major news was look to what the source of the video was. That it came from a young extremist right wing activist, already convicted for an attack on a Senator's office, should have raised red flags. That this guy also has been caught attempting to commit sexually oriented blackmail on a national news reporter in order to fabricate another ideologically driven media frenzy, should have set off red lights and sirens in every legitimate newsroom.
Even with all the evidence damning the creator of the video, a respectable editor would have looked over the raw video footage to see if the activist's claims were true. Shockingly, this time the activist made the raw footage available - and even right wing sources, upon seeing the footage have admitted there was no real disaster or crime committed by NPR's now-former executives.
It is sad - and stupid - that two NPR execs felt they had to dump their own careers due to the highly biased coverage engineered by right-wing propagandists. The facts prove there was no need for NPR or its leadership to hang themselves out to dry - or worse.
There was also no need for other, more legitimate media outlets to give as much coverage to the NPR non-event as they did. As the very real and very sad events in Japan sadly continue to prove, there are plenty of disasters that occur every day that deserve far more media scrutiny than an executive or two at NPR shooting off his/her mouth in private.
That some media organizations have given nearly equal time to both the NPR tape and the events in Japan - while nearly ignoring many other substantive stories - is proof that at least one of the real disasters going on right now is the state of the "news" media itself.
Our hearts go out to the people there, and we recommend that if you haven't done something to help those poor folks, that you chip in now, at somewhere like the Japanese Red Cross or another aid organization.
With all of those horrors happening in Japan, you might think we'd focus our commentary today on nuclear power, or the folly of man trying stop Mother Nature.
We'll leave that for tomorrow.
Today, we wanted to point out a difference we'd noticed in the short transition between the middle and end of last week, surrounding the media coverage of so-called major events.
In case you missed the links we provided last week, there were a couple of personnel turnovers at NPR of high-level NPR staff members after a hidden camera video and editing hack job was released last week. This video was obtained by a convicted criminal, who is also a far-right wing propaganda blogger. For at least a couple of days, it was a hard story to miss, as many of our colleagues in the media fell over themselves to cover a story we felt wasn't that significant.
Some in the media covered the NPR story as though it were almost as important as the disasters in Japan. While the coverage level wasn't exactly equal, it was too often disappointingly close at some media outlets we monitor.
That, in a nutshell, is the problem.
The first thing that ANY legitimate media - and especially NEWS media - should have done when the partisans on the right first began pushing the NPR scandal story as major news was look to what the source of the video was. That it came from a young extremist right wing activist, already convicted for an attack on a Senator's office, should have raised red flags. That this guy also has been caught attempting to commit sexually oriented blackmail on a national news reporter in order to fabricate another ideologically driven media frenzy, should have set off red lights and sirens in every legitimate newsroom.
Even with all the evidence damning the creator of the video, a respectable editor would have looked over the raw video footage to see if the activist's claims were true. Shockingly, this time the activist made the raw footage available - and even right wing sources, upon seeing the footage have admitted there was no real disaster or crime committed by NPR's now-former executives.
It is sad - and stupid - that two NPR execs felt they had to dump their own careers due to the highly biased coverage engineered by right-wing propagandists. The facts prove there was no need for NPR or its leadership to hang themselves out to dry - or worse.
There was also no need for other, more legitimate media outlets to give as much coverage to the NPR non-event as they did. As the very real and very sad events in Japan sadly continue to prove, there are plenty of disasters that occur every day that deserve far more media scrutiny than an executive or two at NPR shooting off his/her mouth in private.
That some media organizations have given nearly equal time to both the NPR tape and the events in Japan - while nearly ignoring many other substantive stories - is proof that at least one of the real disasters going on right now is the state of the "news" media itself.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Funday Friday: Positive Perspective
The ground doesn't appear to be the only thing thawing out recently, both here in America and around the world.
The news stories we've been featuring here and talking about elsewhere have been catching not just our eyes and ears, but the attention of a great number of people.
There have been stories that have made our heads spin - like the Supreme Court ruling that the Westboro Baptist "Church" (or any group like them) can demonstrate at military funerals. There have also been stories that burn us up - like the continuing attack on workers by people who have no idea what the history of labor really is.
Some of these stories have gotten a number of you and more than a few other Americans riled up across the country.
That's good.
We think that some of these stories SHOULD be getting your attention, making you get off your backside, grab your coat, and getting you to become active in your community, no matter how old you are. Get involved! Be passionate! Be informed! Be educated!!
These are all blessings that Americans often take for granted that we so often forget not everyone in the world has.
In fact, most people don't have the same experience we do.
We're not saying "America is the best place in the world, for everyone!" It IS a great place - and we're all generally happy we live here. It works well for all of us.
However, things could be so much worse for our staff, our friends, our families - even you who are reading this right now.
We could live in the squalor of refugee camps in Somalia - or in the prison camps of China.
We could all be stuck in North Korea. As citizens.
We could be living in the earthquake shattered shell of Christchurch, New Zealand - or in the earthquake and tsunami affected areas of Japan.
We could be pinned down in the drug cartel battleground regions of Mexico - or we could be in the true war zones of Afghanistan or Pakistan.
But we're not. [Most of us, anyway. For those serving overseas? Thank you.]
We're not saying the stories we tell you daily through cartoons or commentaries aren't important. They are, and if they weren't, we wouldn't place so much focus on them.
That being said, things could be so much worse - for most of you reading this and for us as well. So this weekend, we hope you take a moment to count your blessings and be grateful for what you have.
Come Monday, were sure we'll have more stories of dumb people doing stupid and/or evil things. The list never seems to end.
Think of it as job security for your Daily Felltoon staff.
The news stories we've been featuring here and talking about elsewhere have been catching not just our eyes and ears, but the attention of a great number of people.
There have been stories that have made our heads spin - like the Supreme Court ruling that the Westboro Baptist "Church" (or any group like them) can demonstrate at military funerals. There have also been stories that burn us up - like the continuing attack on workers by people who have no idea what the history of labor really is.
Some of these stories have gotten a number of you and more than a few other Americans riled up across the country.
That's good.
We think that some of these stories SHOULD be getting your attention, making you get off your backside, grab your coat, and getting you to become active in your community, no matter how old you are. Get involved! Be passionate! Be informed! Be educated!!
These are all blessings that Americans often take for granted that we so often forget not everyone in the world has.
In fact, most people don't have the same experience we do.
We're not saying "America is the best place in the world, for everyone!" It IS a great place - and we're all generally happy we live here. It works well for all of us.
However, things could be so much worse for our staff, our friends, our families - even you who are reading this right now.
We could live in the squalor of refugee camps in Somalia - or in the prison camps of China.
We could all be stuck in North Korea. As citizens.
We could be living in the earthquake shattered shell of Christchurch, New Zealand - or in the earthquake and tsunami affected areas of Japan.
We could be pinned down in the drug cartel battleground regions of Mexico - or we could be in the true war zones of Afghanistan or Pakistan.
But we're not. [Most of us, anyway. For those serving overseas? Thank you.]
We're not saying the stories we tell you daily through cartoons or commentaries aren't important. They are, and if they weren't, we wouldn't place so much focus on them.
That being said, things could be so much worse - for most of you reading this and for us as well. So this weekend, we hope you take a moment to count your blessings and be grateful for what you have.
Come Monday, were sure we'll have more stories of dumb people doing stupid and/or evil things. The list never seems to end.
Think of it as job security for your Daily Felltoon staff.
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