My holiday wish this year is to not hear anyone's holiday wishes.
Newspapers play into charities' game these months toward the end of the year. Column inches are filled with heart-tugging stories and photos about poor little Billy who needs a train set and oh-so-sad Emma who wants a Barbie.
I understand this season sees more charitable donations than any others. I understand that many charities depend on it to make their budgets meet. But is it really the role of a newspaper to perpetuate this dysfunctional, cynical embarrassment?
Look, big cities (and the smaller ones, too) bulge with the needy. They stand on the street corners with shopping carts full of possessions. They wait in lines for soup. They ask pedestrians for change. And they do this 365 days a year.
I see these folks every day. In December, yes, but in January and February too. They don't just magically appear for this single 31-day span. Newspapers do them a disservice by acting as though they only exist for this. Yes, that little homeless boy would love toys this month. But he would also like to have a place to live, and food to eat, and other toys to play with, and a life worth living for the other 11 months of the year.
If those in the journalism profession want to spread the word about how their readers (and viewers) can help the less-fortunate, they should take a longer-term, more realistic approach. They should stop trying to assuage their guilt and focus on true solutions. Charities need help, of course, but their game is not ours.
This is the archived edition of a blog (first titled Copy Massage)
kept from Sept. 4, 2003, to June 4, 2007, by Clay Wirestone.
The original description: "Twentysomething editor / designer /
reviewer / blogger / cartoonist Clay McCuistion muses on copy,
editing and the changing media landscape."
Monday, December 20, 2004
Monday, November 15, 2004
Election Lessons
A few points spring to mind after the presidential elections of this month.
1.) Horse race coverage has sped up, but its importance dropped. I followed every step of this thing, from the primaries to the summer and into the fall. All the horse race knowledge in the world didn't affect the result. The election seems to have been decided by long-swirling forces.
2.) The echo chamber endangers online readers. We can become wrapped up in blogs and other assorted political sites that tell us exactly what we want to hear. Even an "objective" political journalist could find backing for whatever scroop he or she wanted to write. The problem? We lose a sense of who voters actually support.
3.) CBS News needs to -- oh, forget it.
4.) Let's not jump the gun afterward. Folks tried to attribute Bush's win to "values voters," but that theory evaporated within a few days. Many did vote on "values," of course, but that's not unusual. Fears about terrorism and leadership ended up pushing many toward the incumbent.
5.) The news media still has a job to do. Reporting accurately about the current administration or its challenger doesn't mean we're unpatriotic. Disseminating such information is the essence of patriotism. Political operatives would have the public believe otherwise. They're wrong.
1.) Horse race coverage has sped up, but its importance dropped. I followed every step of this thing, from the primaries to the summer and into the fall. All the horse race knowledge in the world didn't affect the result. The election seems to have been decided by long-swirling forces.
2.) The echo chamber endangers online readers. We can become wrapped up in blogs and other assorted political sites that tell us exactly what we want to hear. Even an "objective" political journalist could find backing for whatever scroop he or she wanted to write. The problem? We lose a sense of who voters actually support.
3.) CBS News needs to -- oh, forget it.
4.) Let's not jump the gun afterward. Folks tried to attribute Bush's win to "values voters," but that theory evaporated within a few days. Many did vote on "values," of course, but that's not unusual. Fears about terrorism and leadership ended up pushing many toward the incumbent.
5.) The news media still has a job to do. Reporting accurately about the current administration or its challenger doesn't mean we're unpatriotic. Disseminating such information is the essence of patriotism. Political operatives would have the public believe otherwise. They're wrong.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Polite Recommendation ...
... I hope you all have been keeping up with A Capital Idea. Also known as the copy editing blog that updates regularly and deals with substantive issues. Not that I'm comparing it with anything!
Nicole, you rock our world.
Nicole, you rock our world.
Wednesday, August 4, 2004
Margin Of Wha -- ?
The Columbia Journalism Review's Campaign Desk has a fantastic article about polls, and margins of error in particular.
Read it. It's quite important for these election-obsessed times.
Read it. It's quite important for these election-obsessed times.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Let's Get This Straight
John Kerry in a protective suit is not news.
His wife telling a reporter from a right-wing pub to "shove it" touches the outward periphery of news, but just barely.
The Democratic convention is news.
That's the lesson for today.
His wife telling a reporter from a right-wing pub to "shove it" touches the outward periphery of news, but just barely.
The Democratic convention is news.
That's the lesson for today.
Monday, July 26, 2004
Daily Roundup
Yes, I know the Democratic convention begins today. No, I'm not going to write anything about it yet. I'm taking time to gather my thoughts.
Also, the folks at Romenesko are going nuts about the phrase: "It was as if an occult hand had ... " No, I don't understand it either, but it's supposed to be funny. I'm not linking to the Chicago Tribune story because it requires registration, and I only register for the New York Times and Washington Post (for now). Sorry.
Also, the folks at Romenesko are going nuts about the phrase: "It was as if an occult hand had ... " No, I don't understand it either, but it's supposed to be funny. I'm not linking to the Chicago Tribune story because it requires registration, and I only register for the New York Times and Washington Post (for now). Sorry.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Dirty Headline Alert
Parents, you might want to shoo your kids out of the room. This is why every copy editor should have the mind of a sex-obsessed middle-schooler. No, I don't want to explain it. If you don't understand why it's horrible, you're lucky.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)