So many of my "news" items are entertainment related. Real news is exhausting but these articles about wardrobe slips, bickering celebrities are diverting our attention from actual, real life problems. The "slap" is stupid. He made a (calculated?) mistake. Chris Rock was out of line - but what comedian isn't? It makes me sad that this is what people focus upon, rather than all of the other issues going on - I think it's easier for people. Here, it's all about opinion and outrage - instead of reality and death (and loss of democracy).
Thank you, Dan. I agree that much more expanded "beat reporting" needs to make a comeback. Just as many people watched the Roots mini-series, I am sure there is an audience for non-fictional deep-dive series into many of the issues we struggle with. I know I would watch!
I feel that most of the rules for many things have been thrust aside these days, or are flat-out ignored in favor of making money. The rule of equal time for candidates is one of them. A certain morning news show during the 2016 campaign gave one candidate free time almost every day for months, with the head anchor sparring with him, trying to get him to admit things he was never going to admit. I got frustrated with it and stopped watching as soon as it would start. It turned my stomach. I sincerely believe it was a key contributor to his victory. But, it raises ratings, so it is allowed. So maddening!
The Academy Awards incident received too much publicity. I doubt publicity was Will Smith's motive. Had he been drinking? Did he have prior reasons for being angry with Chris Rock? Many people probably know how typical or atypical the incident is of Will Smith's behavior. Chris Rock's motive remains a mystery as well. Would Chris have made the same remark if he thought Will's wife had cancer? The television clips I saw did not answer these questions. The seven hour gap in Trump's records is far more newsworthy!
Keeping some sort of perspective on what is vital in our world and it probably isn’t front and center the academy awards and “the slap”. So many more things happening in our world need our attention and energy albeit avoiding insults and unkindness to each other.
I wonder while watching the news, how courage leads journalist into a war zone to film and tell stories of total disregard for their own lives. The Academy Awards is a night of glamorous proportions even the spoken words were to describe the height of career accomplishments. Comedian Chris Rock turned the other cheek. I think that Chris Rock should be removed from being a presenter at any future Academy Awards shows.
I am concerned that Americans will not be in the Ukrainian war for the long term. We are like dogs for whom a media shot of “squirrel” is distraction enough to take away our best intentions. I hope and pray that I am not proven correct in my concern.
Thank you for pointing out the cruelty of the remark, sadly missed from most of the news reports. No I do not condone violence but people with disabilities and health issues have enough to deal with. It seems compassion is missing from our world.
The Academy Award’s now infamous “Slap” is a public sign of the times. It is an example of a violent reaction to a cruel comment on a world stage. I do find it a bit ironic that a business that has produced a tremendous amount of content with gratuitous violence is presenting itself as so shocked. We are all desensitized, to an extent, from decades of inhumane violent movies and shows. Although most of us like to believe there is no excuse for violence, except in the case of (physical) self defense, life is complicated and relationships are complex between individuals as well as organizations and nations. I agree with you, MR Rather that more deep dives are needed in reporting. In the case of this story, an understanding of each performers perspective would be more valuable than everyone’s opinion regarding labeling one person the villain and one the victim. Life is mostly grey….usually both parties bear some responsibility in altercations. I in no way think the slap was OK, however, I expect there were reasons Will Smith lost his composure and reacted as an imperfect human. Unfortunately, for him the world was watching, so now he has the added burden of public shame. I would hope that both individuals could privately apologize to each other and try to find common ground by understanding the pain there actions and words caused - hopefully, they would then both move forward with forgiveness and a sincere effort to be more respectful and civil..we don’t need to know the details in this case. The more impactful news would be that they could work out their differences. ..that is the example (I think) we all need for our children, each other - and especially our politicians.
With so much divisiveness, challenge and tragedy in the world, It is easy to feel discouraged, but with the season of Spring and rebirth upon us I remain hopeful for the future. Without hope we have nothing.
Steady helps nourish my hope. Thank you for doing that…I find your essays , as well as your readers’ comments, always thoughtful and often inspiring.
Mr. Rather, you have again illuminated a topic, how news and events are covered, and shown that deeper and prolonged coverage of important issues matter in getting more of the public to truly understand issues. It's important. Unfortunately, todays competitive corporate goals, guidance and financing of the news business does not nurture or support a reporting model that consistently applies these values. I miss the era of reporting that existed when you were a beat reporter. There were three networks. Each network protected its relevance and credibility. The news departments were staffed with seasoned and serious journalists. A topic would be covered, serious analysis was doled out in the 10 minutes of time allotted. The context, nuances, background and histories of the story was given when needed. There was no time for embellishment. No time for a screen of talking heads to talk it over many times a day. Mr. Rather, you were (and are) one of those serious journalists. I miss that quality of reporting. Thank you for your words today.
Thank you Dan for your experience and dedication to America and Truth. It is difficult to ascertain the truth these days since most opinions seem to be motivated by "Other" factors. You are representative of the "old ways" of reporting and it is so needed to this "modern" world. Thanks Again!
Thank you for the “deep dive” into the merits of beat reporting.
I fear that the bombardment of news from all over our shrinking world is numbing our minds. Unfortunately we seem to be drawn to shiny objects since everyone likes to take sides and gather into camps.
One of the most cruel and violent events took place right here in our own country on January 6, 2021. We have yet to pull all the threads together into why this happened. It was no slap. It was a nearly mortal blow with brass knuckles to the throat of our democracy.
You'd have to living under a rock to not have heard of this ridiculousness. I don't understand the reasons for anyone even caring. I haven't watched it and I don't care to. Why do people waste precious breath and time on this? And with that...
Before I got to the last paragraph, I was thinking about how this piece perfectly framed the hypnotic effect of shiny objects. I like to think that my perspective on things is broad and objective, but I can see that it's subject to post-hypnotic cue words to some extent. The gross overuse of "Breaking News" on CNN certainly serves as a cue, and further serves as a prime example of your differentiation between immersive storytelling and what I'll call, "reactive newsmaking."
This was newsworthy before Biden was "elected".
Forget Russian interference, CBS news interfered with the election.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hunter-biden-laptop-data-analysis/
Of course there will be no comment from former journalist Dan Rather.
So many of my "news" items are entertainment related. Real news is exhausting but these articles about wardrobe slips, bickering celebrities are diverting our attention from actual, real life problems. The "slap" is stupid. He made a (calculated?) mistake. Chris Rock was out of line - but what comedian isn't? It makes me sad that this is what people focus upon, rather than all of the other issues going on - I think it's easier for people. Here, it's all about opinion and outrage - instead of reality and death (and loss of democracy).
Thank you, Dan. I agree that much more expanded "beat reporting" needs to make a comeback. Just as many people watched the Roots mini-series, I am sure there is an audience for non-fictional deep-dive series into many of the issues we struggle with. I know I would watch!
I feel that most of the rules for many things have been thrust aside these days, or are flat-out ignored in favor of making money. The rule of equal time for candidates is one of them. A certain morning news show during the 2016 campaign gave one candidate free time almost every day for months, with the head anchor sparring with him, trying to get him to admit things he was never going to admit. I got frustrated with it and stopped watching as soon as it would start. It turned my stomach. I sincerely believe it was a key contributor to his victory. But, it raises ratings, so it is allowed. So maddening!
The Academy Awards incident received too much publicity. I doubt publicity was Will Smith's motive. Had he been drinking? Did he have prior reasons for being angry with Chris Rock? Many people probably know how typical or atypical the incident is of Will Smith's behavior. Chris Rock's motive remains a mystery as well. Would Chris have made the same remark if he thought Will's wife had cancer? The television clips I saw did not answer these questions. The seven hour gap in Trump's records is far more newsworthy!
Thank you, Dan, for your always thoughtful commentary. It prompts thinking, and for that I am grateful.
Please please Dan, write your opinion on hiring Mick Mulvaney at CBS News. Thanks.
Keeping some sort of perspective on what is vital in our world and it probably isn’t front and center the academy awards and “the slap”. So many more things happening in our world need our attention and energy albeit avoiding insults and unkindness to each other.
I wonder while watching the news, how courage leads journalist into a war zone to film and tell stories of total disregard for their own lives. The Academy Awards is a night of glamorous proportions even the spoken words were to describe the height of career accomplishments. Comedian Chris Rock turned the other cheek. I think that Chris Rock should be removed from being a presenter at any future Academy Awards shows.
I am concerned that Americans will not be in the Ukrainian war for the long term. We are like dogs for whom a media shot of “squirrel” is distraction enough to take away our best intentions. I hope and pray that I am not proven correct in my concern.
Thank you for pointing out the cruelty of the remark, sadly missed from most of the news reports. No I do not condone violence but people with disabilities and health issues have enough to deal with. It seems compassion is missing from our world.
The Academy Award’s now infamous “Slap” is a public sign of the times. It is an example of a violent reaction to a cruel comment on a world stage. I do find it a bit ironic that a business that has produced a tremendous amount of content with gratuitous violence is presenting itself as so shocked. We are all desensitized, to an extent, from decades of inhumane violent movies and shows. Although most of us like to believe there is no excuse for violence, except in the case of (physical) self defense, life is complicated and relationships are complex between individuals as well as organizations and nations. I agree with you, MR Rather that more deep dives are needed in reporting. In the case of this story, an understanding of each performers perspective would be more valuable than everyone’s opinion regarding labeling one person the villain and one the victim. Life is mostly grey….usually both parties bear some responsibility in altercations. I in no way think the slap was OK, however, I expect there were reasons Will Smith lost his composure and reacted as an imperfect human. Unfortunately, for him the world was watching, so now he has the added burden of public shame. I would hope that both individuals could privately apologize to each other and try to find common ground by understanding the pain there actions and words caused - hopefully, they would then both move forward with forgiveness and a sincere effort to be more respectful and civil..we don’t need to know the details in this case. The more impactful news would be that they could work out their differences. ..that is the example (I think) we all need for our children, each other - and especially our politicians.
With so much divisiveness, challenge and tragedy in the world, It is easy to feel discouraged, but with the season of Spring and rebirth upon us I remain hopeful for the future. Without hope we have nothing.
Steady helps nourish my hope. Thank you for doing that…I find your essays , as well as your readers’ comments, always thoughtful and often inspiring.
Mr. Rather, you have again illuminated a topic, how news and events are covered, and shown that deeper and prolonged coverage of important issues matter in getting more of the public to truly understand issues. It's important. Unfortunately, todays competitive corporate goals, guidance and financing of the news business does not nurture or support a reporting model that consistently applies these values. I miss the era of reporting that existed when you were a beat reporter. There were three networks. Each network protected its relevance and credibility. The news departments were staffed with seasoned and serious journalists. A topic would be covered, serious analysis was doled out in the 10 minutes of time allotted. The context, nuances, background and histories of the story was given when needed. There was no time for embellishment. No time for a screen of talking heads to talk it over many times a day. Mr. Rather, you were (and are) one of those serious journalists. I miss that quality of reporting. Thank you for your words today.
Thank you Dan for your experience and dedication to America and Truth. It is difficult to ascertain the truth these days since most opinions seem to be motivated by "Other" factors. You are representative of the "old ways" of reporting and it is so needed to this "modern" world. Thanks Again!
Thank you for the “deep dive” into the merits of beat reporting.
I fear that the bombardment of news from all over our shrinking world is numbing our minds. Unfortunately we seem to be drawn to shiny objects since everyone likes to take sides and gather into camps.
One of the most cruel and violent events took place right here in our own country on January 6, 2021. We have yet to pull all the threads together into why this happened. It was no slap. It was a nearly mortal blow with brass knuckles to the throat of our democracy.
You'd have to living under a rock to not have heard of this ridiculousness. I don't understand the reasons for anyone even caring. I haven't watched it and I don't care to. Why do people waste precious breath and time on this? And with that...
Before I got to the last paragraph, I was thinking about how this piece perfectly framed the hypnotic effect of shiny objects. I like to think that my perspective on things is broad and objective, but I can see that it's subject to post-hypnotic cue words to some extent. The gross overuse of "Breaking News" on CNN certainly serves as a cue, and further serves as a prime example of your differentiation between immersive storytelling and what I'll call, "reactive newsmaking."