If there's one thing I can appreciate at 18 that I couldn't at 14, it's how Goddamn awful the news media is at covering a presidential election. (However, I did get a sense in 2004 of this trend when the Swift Boat thugs were given an equal voice on John Kerry's Vietnam record as the senator.) The news media is constantly evolving; during the 2000, nobody on Earth knew what a blog was. But the continuing patterns of media coverage do not bode well. Many bad trends in journalism, especially on campaign politics, have been exacerbated in recent years.
The New York Times just ran a story about the declining numbers of newspaper writers who follow the presidential campaigns. Print newspapers have been hit hard in recent years by the rise of the Internet as a popular news source. As a result, more and more newspapers have decided to restrict most of their news staff to just local events and fluff pieces.
It's really just as well that there aren't more newspaper reporters. The press makes it easy on themselves by following narratives throughout the campaign, making every news story fall into these categories whether they belong there or not. They also tend to report every story the same way in every outlet -- a phenomenon known as "pack journalism."
Pack journalism is compounded by the fact that television still plays the largest role in campaign news. TV news is where actual journalism goes to die. Because the news media is a business, networks and 24-hour news channels are discouraged from going out on the front lines and reporting -- it's much easier to just have people talk! And so they do, to no end. And the pack journalism means that the play the same video clips over and over again on every channel -- like with the recent Jeremiah Wright controversy -- in such a way as to lure in viewers, but not to educate and inform.
And this leads to yet another problem with coverage of the race and all elections: horse-race journalism and sensationalism over substantive debate. When the presidential candidates have debates, what lines are repeated endlessly in the news cycle? Not the distinctions in health care policy. No, that's much too boring. Instead we get all the zingers and one-liners that mean really nothing. Since when does anyone have the right to criticize Americans for being ill-informed when the media make it so difficult to be informed? The press is truly in a state of ruin. But progress has been made -- at least Crossfire was canceled.
March 26, 2008
Gays turn to Israel
Israel's embrace of Western culture is exemplified in its treatments of homosexuals. It is a country with a powerful rabbinate and deep religious tradition, yet still offers gays better opportunities in many ways than even most of the United States. Gays are allowed to serve openly in the IDF, for example. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country to allow this.
It is also a well-documented phenomenon that Palestinian gays immigrate illegally to Israel to escape persecution in the territories. But now the Israeli government has taken a step further; it has granted a temporary visa to a gay man from the West Bank who claimed he was under the threat of death at home because of his orientation. He was allowed to join his lover in Tel Aviv.
A residency permit to protect someone from facing repercussions of their sexual orientation? Could you imagine that in Jordan? Could you imagine that even in France?
It is also a well-documented phenomenon that Palestinian gays immigrate illegally to Israel to escape persecution in the territories. But now the Israeli government has taken a step further; it has granted a temporary visa to a gay man from the West Bank who claimed he was under the threat of death at home because of his orientation. He was allowed to join his lover in Tel Aviv.
A residency permit to protect someone from facing repercussions of their sexual orientation? Could you imagine that in Jordan? Could you imagine that even in France?
March 17, 2008
Double standards
Good news for those who do not align themselves with al Qaeda. According to intelligence sources, the United States fired missiles at a Pakistani house where members of al Qaeda and the Taliban were located, killing 9 and injuring 9 more. Neither the Pakistani nor American governments would acknowledge the strike, so it was obviously an American action.
This is an example of the United States acting in its interests by killing terrorists in Pakistan after the Pakistani government apparently decided not to. I can't imagine anyone in American politics saying this was a foreign policy blunder. So why is it such when Barack Obama suggests it?
This is an example of the United States acting in its interests by killing terrorists in Pakistan after the Pakistani government apparently decided not to. I can't imagine anyone in American politics saying this was a foreign policy blunder. So why is it such when Barack Obama suggests it?
March 15, 2008
Iran votes, West holds its breath
Iran has held its legislative elections, and the results are starting to creep in. There is no trend yet, but expectations should be low for anything positive. After all, the Guardians Council eliminated 1,700 electoral candidates because they were too much on the reformist side. In some localities, reformists were not even allowed to field a candidate. The choice is between the jihadi conservatives and the moderate conservatives, who are themselves not so moderate as just less hostile in their words to the West.
This election is truly a momentous occasion. This is the last opportunity for Iran's people to deal a significant political setback to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before the nuclear standoff will have changed dramatically in some fashion. By the time Ahmadinejad is up for re-election in mid-2009, it will be too late.
One must feel for the Iranian people, a people who wants change badly but whose government will not allow it. This is not democracy. Not when the candidates are permitted to campaign for a maximum of one week, and only those who meet the absurd standards of the Guardians Council. This is a contest to see who is least unpalatable. With the reformists so weakened by the religious authorities, they cannot do all that much. All that can be done is to hope, hope and pray.
This election is truly a momentous occasion. This is the last opportunity for Iran's people to deal a significant political setback to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before the nuclear standoff will have changed dramatically in some fashion. By the time Ahmadinejad is up for re-election in mid-2009, it will be too late.
One must feel for the Iranian people, a people who wants change badly but whose government will not allow it. This is not democracy. Not when the candidates are permitted to campaign for a maximum of one week, and only those who meet the absurd standards of the Guardians Council. This is a contest to see who is least unpalatable. With the reformists so weakened by the religious authorities, they cannot do all that much. All that can be done is to hope, hope and pray.
March 13, 2008
Russia joins the best of the best
I have written about the travails of Iranian blogging and the difficulties they face with their government. Frequently, independent bloggers in Iran are shut down for speaking out against anything not called the United States, and often they are thrown in jail and charged with absurd crimes like "insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran."
The Russians are learning well from their uranium trading partners to the South. For the first time, a Russian blogger has been arrested for "insulting the police." This is part of a series of new laws banning "hate speech" on the Internet. The maximum punishment in this instance is two years in prison or a large fine.
Russia has now truly become an authoritarian state in every way. It already had the severely rigged elections, the suspension of independent media outlets, the suppression of opposition rallies, the cult of personality for its leaders. But now it has the means of crushing dissent on the Internet, an opportunity afforded to only the elite among dicatorships -- your Chinas, your Irans, your Pakistans. Welcome to the club, Putin and Medvedev.
The Russians are learning well from their uranium trading partners to the South. For the first time, a Russian blogger has been arrested for "insulting the police." This is part of a series of new laws banning "hate speech" on the Internet. The maximum punishment in this instance is two years in prison or a large fine.
Russia has now truly become an authoritarian state in every way. It already had the severely rigged elections, the suspension of independent media outlets, the suppression of opposition rallies, the cult of personality for its leaders. But now it has the means of crushing dissent on the Internet, an opportunity afforded to only the elite among dicatorships -- your Chinas, your Irans, your Pakistans. Welcome to the club, Putin and Medvedev.
March 8, 2008
Obama triumphs
To the surprise of no one, Barack Obama has won the Wyoming caucus, further pinning Hillary down in the delegate count. Yes, Obama does better in the caucus states, he having won 13 to Clinton's 3. The Clinton machine derides the success he has in the caucuses because they are not, perhaps, as "democratic" as a primary. And in the primaries she does considerably better. Some have posited that people are less likely to show their latent racist tendencies in the public atmosphere of the caucus. But this is baloney -- the misogynists would also have less opportunity in public to be themselves.
No, Obama wins in the caucuses because only the committed and the informed attend the caucuses. And Obama does better across the board -- among whites, the working class, everyone -- who pays close attention to the race. Clinton is the default candidate, which is why she wins more in primaries. Those who have not paid close attention to the race know her name and so they support her. But their numbers decrease every place Obama campaigns -- which bodes well for the general election. Besides, Obama will have to broaden his base of support: he can't rely on all the black voters, college students, and upscale independents who helped him win the Wyoming caucus.
No, Obama wins in the caucuses because only the committed and the informed attend the caucuses. And Obama does better across the board -- among whites, the working class, everyone -- who pays close attention to the race. Clinton is the default candidate, which is why she wins more in primaries. Those who have not paid close attention to the race know her name and so they support her. But their numbers decrease every place Obama campaigns -- which bodes well for the general election. Besides, Obama will have to broaden his base of support: he can't rely on all the black voters, college students, and upscale independents who helped him win the Wyoming caucus.
March 6, 2008
Sign of the times
Who says Hamas isn't keeping up with today's latest trends? After today's savage attack on a yeshiva in Jerusalem, Hamas did not take responsibility for the attack. But they were in a celebratory mood afterwards, giving out sweets in the streets of Gaza, just like on 9/11. And they alerted their supporters to their glee at the shooting, by sending a text message to their supporters. It read: "We bless the operation. It will not be the last." So nice to see Israeli cell phone technology being put to good use.
Update: According to The Jerusalem Post, four of the dead had not even turned 18. Two were 15 years old.
Update: According to The Jerusalem Post, four of the dead had not even turned 18. Two were 15 years old.
Chavez and A'jad: Tweedledee and Tweedledum
It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Chavez is threatening military reprisal for a cross-border raid that US-backed Colombia executed into Ecuador over the weekend. The Colombians were looking to strike against the leftist revel FARC, apparently successfully. They recovered the laptop of a top FARC leader with some interesting files inside.
Mr. Chavez, who has established ties with Ahmadinejad, is linked in these files to the FARC rebels. Chavez sounds just like his Persian friend when he denied the authenticity of these files, just like the Iranian government did when evidence surfaced of recent nuclear weapons development (see below). (Chavez also attempted to insult Colombia by calling it the "Israel of South America.")
Apparently, FARC also has dreams of trading uranium. Whether there are nuclear ambitions are involved is not clear, as it may just be a profit-making venture. However, if they are serious in this matter, they have a natural ally in Ahmadinejad.
Chavez is threatening military reprisal for a cross-border raid that US-backed Colombia executed into Ecuador over the weekend. The Colombians were looking to strike against the leftist revel FARC, apparently successfully. They recovered the laptop of a top FARC leader with some interesting files inside.
Mr. Chavez, who has established ties with Ahmadinejad, is linked in these files to the FARC rebels. Chavez sounds just like his Persian friend when he denied the authenticity of these files, just like the Iranian government did when evidence surfaced of recent nuclear weapons development (see below). (Chavez also attempted to insult Colombia by calling it the "Israel of South America.")
Apparently, FARC also has dreams of trading uranium. Whether there are nuclear ambitions are involved is not clear, as it may just be a profit-making venture. However, if they are serious in this matter, they have a natural ally in Ahmadinejad.
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