The Pamphleteer |
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During colonial times in America, if you wanted to convince or inform people about some issue that you considered important, you went to the local printer and got some pamphlets printed. You then handed them out, read them to anybody that was interested, nailed them to the town bulletin board, or the nearest tree.
The first amendment was specifically written to protect this type of activity and the writers or "pamphleteers".
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Friday, September 24, 2004
RATHERBIASED.COM UPDATE ========== WHAT'S NEW ========== The Fallout From Memogate --Earlier, we gave you the internet's reaction to the CBS semi-apology, now, RatherBiased.com is looking how a few of America's newspapers are responding and reporting on the CBS documents kerfuffle. * The New York Times, always the paper with the best network contacts, further confirms that Memogate producer Mary Mapes has become the sacrificial lamb. But not every CBSer is happy about that, Jim Rutenberg and Bill Carter report; some employees believe more important heads need to roll. They also talked with a former colleague of Mapes's, a conservative radio talker who used to work with her, who recalls the CBS producer as being "ardently liberal." Elsewhere in the Times, Kate Zernike reports on the immediate role-reversal that ensued after former Clinton pressec Joe Lockhart admitted that he was asked by CBS to contact its primary document source, Bill Burkett. Prior to that, the Bush people didn't want to talk much about Memogate while the Kerry folk were pumping up the National Guard story. * The other New York papers also have some interesting items today. The Daily News has an article about a "civil war" within "60 Minutes" as some Sunday show figures like Steve Kroft are lambasting their colleagues for running a shoddy story. While at The News, we also couldn't miss columnist Michael Goodwin's scathing editorial denouncing CBS for a number of sins including "smearing" rival newsies "with unforgivable charges of partisanship when first challenged" or the paper's report that Mary Mapes apparently believes she will not be made into the network's scapegoat. The New York Post, meanwhile, has a report about advertisers possibly pulling spots on the "CBS Evening News" in the near future, though it does offer little proof for the assertion as well as a piece on more affiliate reaction to Memogate. * Over at the NYT's archrival, The Washington Post, media reporter Howard Kurt has a column on the affair wondering how CBS can boost its "tattered reputation" without some high-profile firings or resignations. He's also filed a report on the whole Bush-Kerry dispute over the CBS documents. Kurtz's colleague Anne Applebaum has a perceptive column (and we say that not just because she gives us a plug) on what the whole Memogate mess means for the future of television. In the piece, Applebaum states that "Rather and his fellow network newsmen are stuck in a Vietnam/Watergate-era time warp" in which they "regard themselves as the conscience of the nation." She also argues that the episode signals the beginning of the end for network news, as well as a return to a more competitive, and partisan, press. While she sees some negative aspects of this development, on the whole, Applebaum seems fine with the idea. * Across town, The Washington Times has a number of articles on Memogate: Most notable is a profile piece on David Van Os the former lawyer of Bill Burkett as well as a John McCaslin piece on how the Memogate Burkett should not be confused with B. G. Burkett the author of a book exposing false veteran claims. Though both men spell their names the same way, each pronounces his surname differently and the two are political opposites. While you're there, read the WT's take on the Bush-Kerry Memogate dispute as well as the house editorial on the matter. * The Chicago Tribune, which hadn't posted its Wednesday articles when this piece was written, is still worth checking out (username/password: slashdot). Illinois's largest paper has several articles worth reading, including one in which a still-smarting Dan Rather incredibly says he doesn't think CBS's documents were forged. Also notable is a piece from syndicated Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts who deplores the developments observed by Applebaum. The Trib also has a piece by reporter Leon Lazaroff who found several people who worry CBS's paper problems will affect Americans' perceptions of the entire news media. * Elsewhere in the Midwest, The Star Tribune of Minnesota has penned an editorial on Memogate, opining that the damage to CBS's rep has been "likely irreparable." The paper also has an article attempting to assess the influence that online publications and blogs are beginning to have. For a less adversarial view of how Memogate affects the "old" vs. "new" media dynamic, see this Philadelphia Inquirer piece. * One more bullet: the Associated Press reports that back in 2000, Al Gore's campaign staff was told of allegations similar to Burkett's but never opted to pursue them. It was not given documents, however. The Los Angeles Times also has one large article on journalism buffs' opinions, those of CBS prez Leslie Moonves, as well as some info on the investigation. ** Go to <http://ratherbiased.com/news/> to view links inside stories mentioned here. ** |