Newspeak

In this little hamlet that I reside there are newspapers. Big surprise, huh? Well the two more predominant newspapers here are the Clarion Ledger and The Jackson Free Press. The Ledger is a fairly old, established Mississippi newspaper and The Jackson Free Press is a relatively new, alternative newspaper. For whatever reason, The Jackson Free Press continuously rails against the Ledger. A possible cause could be that the parent company of The Ledger, Gannet Corporation, has attempted to edge out the Free Press through some rather shady business practices. In response, the Free Press is constantly on the offensive against anything The Ledger does.


Recently, I was hanging out at one of my usual haunts, downing a few beers and discussing the situation with a, lets say, "executive" with The Ledger. I inquired to this person about why the Free Press despises The Ledger so much. The "executive" responded with, "You know, I really don't know. No one really noticed their little paper until they started whining about everything." I asked the "executive" about the business practices, but this person claimed no knowledge of that.


After a while we started discussing what the problems are with both papers. The Ledger is outdated. Their features revolve around knitting and have no concept of how to use the internet. The Free Press is self-righteous and more than not, prefers to make the news instead of report it. In the end, both papers are sub-par with sub-par editors. I have decided not to take a side in their little war, but sit back and watch them both look like fools. Don't get me wrong, though. I think both papers have many good reporters, I think the problem starts at the top of both of them.


The worst problem about these papers is the polarization that goes on with each. On one side you have the liberal camp, the Free Press, and the other, the established conservative camp, The Ledger. Both sides intensely look down at one another as being stupid. This is indicative about our culture today. Everything descends to polarization because people like the editors and people in charge at each of these media outlets push their agendas as the "right" one. With blogging and internet posting engaging the public on each of these media's websites, people become involve and fall in line behind their leaders. They cease to think for themselves, but merely rely on what is told to them through these media websites.

I Hate Politics and the Media

I guess I would call myself a social libertarian. I was thinking the other day about all the different political classifications I have tried to squeeze myself into. Too many to count. I have major problems with organized groups. Frats, religions, wine clubs, and school functions. I've always been a loner, Dotty. A Rebel! LOL. Thats from "Pee Wee's Big Adventure." I've just never been able to get behind anything with a hundred percent. I guess that would make me a flake, but I really don't give a shit.

Lately, my biggest problem has been with political thinking, left of center. Not necessarily left leaning groups, but more, left thinking people. You know those people. They remind me of small minded rednecks, as strange as that sounds, extreme left thinking people cannot see past their own noses to what the rest of the world is. Many of them are history revisionists and apologists and it drives me fucking nuts. They are very good at patting each other on the back and hurling accusations at the rest of the political spectrum, because they feel entitled to be correct. Here in the south, extreme left thinking people seem to have some hard core self guilt about factors about themselves that cannot be changed, such as their birth, but they continue to bitch about it. For extreme left thinking people, everything boils down to race, gender or "being the victim" which they love to do.

I cannot help but keeping up with politics here in Jackson and the different bickering sides. Its in my nature. I'm a political animal, even though I desperately despise politics and I especially despise the media.

I think I'll go read the new Jackson Free Press and watch some MSNBC.

Local Media Musings

I'm sure everyone has heard the news that James Seale has been arrested and indicted here in Mississippi for the kidnapping of two black men in 1964. I, for one, am glad there were some good investigative journalists that helped Thomas Moore, the brother of one of the slain black men, push for some much needed justice. 40+ years is way too long to wait on justice, but thank God the wheels finally got rolling. Hopefully, with as strong a case as I hear it is, another cold case will be closed. My problem with this story has nothing to do with whats going on in the case. My problem is with the media. It seemed to me that many people in the local media are scrambling to pat themselves on the back for pushing this one through. True, certain members of local media helped locate the accused kidnapper, but jeez, take a step back. Maybe I'm just ignorant, but isn't the first duty of a reporter to report the news? The local media here has dug its claws into this juicy story and plastered it everywhere with "full team coverage." I know everyone will say, "Damn, Expatriate, your one cynical asshole," but I just find it kind of creepy to see everyone, in the local media, clamoring pin a medal on their chest for "righting what once went wrong," to quote Quantum Leap. What happened to "I was just doing my job?" Many members of the local media are infusing their ideas about policy, especially in prosecutions, instead of reporting policy and advocating from the sidelines. This is nothing new, though. Thomas Carlyle called the press the "Fourth Estate" referring to its ability to frame political and social issues for the public and providing a level of transparency in govnerment. I believe in this but I also believe the press and today's media, sometime like the spotlight for themselves.