MMMM #508 Buzz Words, Local Journalism, and Real Reality

What happens as local journalism dies? 

"...unless some entity comes along and does what local newspapers have been doing all these years, we're gonna have corruption at a level we've never experienced. ... So many papers now can't afford to have a beat reporter. ... To cover city hall, you have to be there every day and ... know the overall story, not just report what happens on a particular day."

             

                                                                                                      Bob Schieffer

                                                                                  CBS news

     The comment was part of a CNN story about the slow demise of local journalism, at least as practiced by local newspapers.
     And while i don't disagree with his defense of the "beat" system, it did have its weakness. Reporters on the beat were so close to the players that it was difficult to avoid pulling punches. They depended  more on inside sources, sources who could easily be angered because of critical stories. It is part of the same pressure suburban bureau reporters face.

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Language is important, and should have actual meaning.
An op-ed column by a state representative:

"...because we refused to tax working families when there is free money on the table through expanding Medicaid and elective money on the table through an education lottery.

I've made it clear to Gov. Bentley and clear to the people of my district. I would never support tax increases on working families..."  

                 State Rep. Dario Melton, House Democratic Chair 

Alabama Capitol Building 1906

     I won't argue with the Representative's belief that those two steps could solve the state's General Fund deficit and more. But let me point out that only income gathering entities can pay taxes. Businesses that make no money, or are out of business, pay none. Nor do people who are unemployed. In terms of personal taxes, that leaves workers, or "working families" if you will, and the only people who can pay taxes. But the term working families sounds so nice.  

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Aljazeera America praises an editorial in the NY Times for calling out some of the candidates in the second GOP debate, but asks why reporters didn't actually report what was happening:

This is called “objective” journalism. It has its virtues. It can guard against media outlets putting their own twist on every story. Going to authorities and experts can protect a journalist from being blamed if the statement of contradiction is wrong or incomplete.
The pejorative name for this is Chinese menu journalism: The reporter orders two quotes, one from column A and one from column B, and there’s a complete news meal. Describing it that way reveals the inherent weakness of the method.

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PLUS: a weekend story told of the exploits of a Canadian

newspaper reporter who died at the age of 77 last week. A good read. Reporters like Alistar Dow did seem more colorful back then.

"Alastair Dow and fellow Toronto Star editors Bruce Garvey and Jim Rennie decided over a booze-soaked lunch to fly across the Atlantic, just because."

[The Monday Morning Media Memo is a regular/longtime feature of TimLennox.com.]