Roving the Media

Seriously, America’s media has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Up until last Tuesday afternoon, the big buzz in the media was Karl Rove’s involvement in the leaking of a CIA operative’s name to two conservative journalists Matthew Cooper and Robert Novak, an illegal act some claim. It seemed as though the media’s insatiable appetite to uncover the story was so large they turned cannibal. Stations began using news footage from rival stations. Journalists found themselves exploited and working multiple networks for the sake of ratings. Rove was the kernel of medium life. The press couldn’t find enough info, mostly because the White House began playing games of “Hush, don’t tell.”

Enter Tuesday afternoon, subtle and sweet, yet sensual enough that even Guy Noir would have blushed. New headline, “Bush Nominates New Supreme Court Judge.” In an instant, what had enthralled a nation and its press for weeks died in the summer heat and yielded to what the media saw as a new and more interesting topic. Rove’s crime quietly melted away.

I know this for a fact. I had anticipated the news of the Supreme Court nomination for a few days and was concerned to see how the media would respond, especially with regards to the Rove issue. As to my expectations, the press lost interest in Rove, much like a child loses interest in an old toy when a new toy is introduced. Am I saying that America’s media act like children? That’s exactly what I’m saying.

We’ve all heard the line from Fox News, “Fair and Balanced.” And, for the most part, media conglomerates like CNN and MSNBC try to emulate the phrase. For every Chris Matthews, there’s a Joe Scarborough. For every Hannity, there’s a Combe. Yet when news itself is reported, the fair and balance approach is thrown by the wayside.

Wednesday morning, I anxiously awoke, hoping to read headlines concerning both Rove and the new SC judge. However, what I found is that there was no coverage of Rove on the front page. Yet, there, article after article, was the news of John G. Roberts, conservative nominee for the SC.

What happened to Rove? Was he all of a sudden exonerated by the media for the crimes of treason against the U.S.?

Actually, nothing happened to Rove. In fact the story is still quite alive. It now appears on the pack pages of the “Who Gives a Crap” newspaper. Furthermore, this response by the media is exactly the reaction the Bush administration was hoping for. The Rove story caused major damage to the White House. Bush saw a slip in his approval ratings rival to that of the sinking of the Titanic. What better way to rebound? Throw in a SC nominee and the press will forget all about Rove.

Inaugural Blog

My inaugural blog creates somewhat of a conundrum for me and my readers. Since writing is a much slower process than thinking, it is possible to forget what I want to write before I am able to write it. Moreover, I do not have control over reader perception. What may be meant as literal, a reader may perceive as figurative. What may be meant as ironic, a reader may perceive as sarcastic and cynical, thereby creating problems.

From past blogs on other sites, I have found that one mistake in logic, or even one mistake in grammar, can profoundly affect a reader’s perception of the text. Because of this, pushing the eminent "Publish Post" button can be a frightening experience for a writer. On the other hand, the deliberate advantage to writing, unless there are editorial time constraints, is the abundance of time for correction and clarification.

However, is my purpose in blogs to satisfy an audience? Will anyone really read this? Finally, will anyone care about what I have to say? Perhaps what my blog really creates is a simplification of the complex possibilities of human motivation, for surely the motive behind writing this blog, or any blog for that matter, is to persuade an audience. If I wanted to protect myself from harsh critics and keep my thoughts surreptitious, I would write in my private journal. Instead, I cautiously expose myself to a myriad of critics and I welcome them.