So, where's the wall-to-wall coverage of Rebekah Brooks and Rupert Murdoch? Why aren't FOX and Nancy Grace (CNN) all over this?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
NPR Covers "Carmageddon"
I am only occasionally annoyed by news coverage on our local NPR station. But today's coverage of this weekend's "Carmageddon" in Los Angelas was definitely one of those rare occasions. They spent too much of their valuable air time on a nothing story - the anticipated traffic gridlock that will occur when the 405 is closed for a couple of days while DOT widens a lane or adds some space to make traffic flow more smoothly. The way overblown reaction of southern Californians would be amusing if there weren't so many more deserving stories that NPR could have been covering. I don't even feel the need to offer examples. Anything would have been better than this tripe.
The NPR people even referenced the moniker poorly. They declared that the name came from a modern day video game or movie. Here's what the NPR story actually said:
"DEL BARCO: Yes, Carmageddon, a name taken from a graphically violent video game inspired by the cult movie "Death Race 2000." L.A. County supervisor Zev Yarovsavsky coined the term for what essentially will be a widening of the road."
Are we to believe that NPR thought this was indeed the origin of the term? Are they totally unaware of "Armageddon" from the Book of Revelation in the New Testament as an example of the ultimate battle, the worst possible conflict?
And what makes the narcissistic people of southern California think that the other 300 million people in America or the 6.5 billion inhabitants of the earth care that a few thousand cars might be stuck in slow traffic this weekend if they ignore warnings. WE DON'T CARE !! Give it a rest!
The NPR people even referenced the moniker poorly. They declared that the name came from a modern day video game or movie. Here's what the NPR story actually said:
"DEL BARCO: Yes, Carmageddon, a name taken from a graphically violent video game inspired by the cult movie "Death Race 2000." L.A. County supervisor Zev Yarovsavsky coined the term for what essentially will be a widening of the road."
Are we to believe that NPR thought this was indeed the origin of the term? Are they totally unaware of "Armageddon" from the Book of Revelation in the New Testament as an example of the ultimate battle, the worst possible conflict?
And what makes the narcissistic people of southern California think that the other 300 million people in America or the 6.5 billion inhabitants of the earth care that a few thousand cars might be stuck in slow traffic this weekend if they ignore warnings. WE DON'T CARE !! Give it a rest!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Punditry
It took today's jury verdict in the Casey Anthony case to roust me out of my summer doldrums (and create this Blog posting). The disclaimers have to be legion. Nobody rejoices when a precious child dies needlessly, regardless of who is responsible.
Justice in our judicial system sometimes produces results the public finds abhorrent. But it is still justice. Jurors are too often underestimated and too often pigeon-holed and unfairly characterized.
1. After it's all over, the "reasonable doubt" bar is a high one, but necessary for capital murder cases. What's surprising to me is that the prosecution believed they had cleared this bar even though they couldn't tell how the toddler was killed or when or where.
2. The media is raring to tear apart the jurors for their unexpected verdict. And they are foaming at the mouth over the seemingly wise initial decision by jurors to avoid the media lynching at this time.
3. Pundits "convicted" Casey almost solely on the basis of her immature, inappropriate behavior during the weeks and months following the Caylee's disappearance. She did not behave the way an innocent mother should.
4. When it was first announced this morning that a verdict had been reached, the media jumped to the wrong conclusion and began declaring that it had to mean guilty on the most severe charge and was speculating on capital punishment. Imagine their chagrine when the 3 most severe charges were all returned as "Not guilty".
5. The defense attorney in his statement to the press following the verdict provided a clear analysis of how capital punishment ends up distorting "justice" in some murder cases, like this one.
Justice in our judicial system sometimes produces results the public finds abhorrent. But it is still justice. Jurors are too often underestimated and too often pigeon-holed and unfairly characterized.
1. After it's all over, the "reasonable doubt" bar is a high one, but necessary for capital murder cases. What's surprising to me is that the prosecution believed they had cleared this bar even though they couldn't tell how the toddler was killed or when or where.
2. The media is raring to tear apart the jurors for their unexpected verdict. And they are foaming at the mouth over the seemingly wise initial decision by jurors to avoid the media lynching at this time.
3. Pundits "convicted" Casey almost solely on the basis of her immature, inappropriate behavior during the weeks and months following the Caylee's disappearance. She did not behave the way an innocent mother should.
4. When it was first announced this morning that a verdict had been reached, the media jumped to the wrong conclusion and began declaring that it had to mean guilty on the most severe charge and was speculating on capital punishment. Imagine their chagrine when the 3 most severe charges were all returned as "Not guilty".
5. The defense attorney in his statement to the press following the verdict provided a clear analysis of how capital punishment ends up distorting "justice" in some murder cases, like this one.
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