It's not only avarice - it's mind boggling. They're talking about putting Lynch and a pal on MTV to get the younger audience. CBS News is trying to distance itself from this part of CBS. And what it is - the media has now gotten so removed from reality that their whole game is in trying to outdo each other. There is no reality, only greed. They cannot possibly do this without the implicit consent of the military and the WH. And the Times mentioned the name of the Iraqi who "helped her escape." What escape? From where? Is this the same Iraqi who claimed he walked miles to tell the Americans she was held captive? The same Iraqi who was then spirited out of the country with his family and given a job with ex-republican rep Livingston's lobby company?
And doesn't this tie-up with the republican-appointed FCC under Powell to allow mega-joinings of the media giants?
This is not a lib-con thing. This is really about the future of news reporting and media entertainment in America, and if it happens we have crossed a boundary.
I keep thinking of an old Max Shulman book, in which a watching public sees a newly built building sink slowly into the quagmire it was built upon.
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Dartagnan
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 12:50 pm
This level of seedy competition isn't new, mamajuana. What is new--and disgusting--is the scope of what CBS is offering. And how disingenuous CBS News is being in claiming it has nothing to do with all the goodies other Viacom subsidiaries are dangling in front of Pvt. Lynch.
And yes, it's also disgusting that the FCC is doing what it can to allow bigger and grosser media empires to evolve!
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Tartarin
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 01:06 pm
Okay, I'm not going to win any friends with this comment (and probably lose a view) but WHY THE HELL DO YOU KEEP TUNING IN TO THESE NEWSIES? WHY NOT TURN THEM OFF? BOYCOTT THEM? BUMPER STICKER THEM? WHY NOT WRITE THEIR ADVERTISERS? Everyone keeps saying it isn't worth the effort but let me tell you it is. If nothing else, it frees your brain from this crap. Until you get them off your TV/radio/whatever, the rest of us will continue to admire your sincerity and intelligence, but in the back of our minds we'll be thinking "those idiots!" (Hey, I was once an idiot too.)
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McGentrix
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 01:16 pm
Tartarin wrote:
(Hey, I was once an idiot too.)
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snood
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 01:19 pm
Tartarin - there's nothing in the posts previous to yours that would suggest that those who wrote them actually watch MTV, for instance. Speaking for myself, I despise MTV, but will take a peek every once in a while to see if things remain status quo. They were decrying the smarmy practices of the media. I'm not sure what you're saying. Should they not complain until they have formally written a letter of protest, or boycotted all offensive outlets? Is your idea that once we all "get them off our TV/radios" and stop being "idiots", then that will change things?
And since you're no longer an "idiot", how is it that you even know what the louses are putting on the air nowadays - by hearing it from those of us who are still "idiots"?
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blatham
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 01:24 pm
Sorry PD...one last note to McG on that subject...
McG...'what else was I supposed to do?'...consider, then address the point. The example of Catholic parishoners was simply to bring into view an example we all know where some percentage of a population simply trust their leaders, even in the face of of overwhelming evidence that they should not. They, of course, wouldn't agree the evidence IS overwhelming, but we can also predict with some certainty that they aren't reading a lot of outside commentary because...well, that is the interesting question.
This is something I've indicted scrat and some others for...maintaining an insularity in viewpoint through not accessing much in the way of outside data and commentary re the war. It is not a defensible intellectual stance.
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blatham
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 01:29 pm
quick before I get back to work...
snood...one clear element I've noticed in these discussions (generally true, though not in all specific cases) has been that folks who have been outside the echo chamber of American media (tartarin, dyslexia, and others, plus the folks from abroad) are the ones who tend to display a keener understanding of how the context of those media shape the content. Sorry to leave it there, with all the clarity of a McLuhan paragraph, but must run.
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Tartarin
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 02:32 pm
Whew! thank you Blatham!
The important thing, Snood, is to steer clear of those who are trying to buy your mind -- and I don't exclude those who say, "But I'm smart, I know what they're doing, I'm not influenced by that stuff, I know how to watch criticially."
How do I know this process so well? In part because I spent most of my adult life away from US media so that, upon my return, its blatant siren song was much more obvious to me than it might be to those who've lived with it all their lives. I then started to fool around with it, turning the audio off and just watching the video, and then the reverse. After a couple of months of this, one could write a book on the ways in which the "hidden persuaders" work, believe me! Once you catch on, you want to make sure your nearest and dearest (or at least your fellow Democrats!) stay away from the stuff.
Yes, I notice how the media play a role in limiting the discussions here. Many of the discussions go on and on and on, always remaining within the same territory. Everything, you might say, is Conditized or Lacified. One frequently notices the lack of breadth and depth -- which is how so many hacks survive in this atmosphere.
The media now set the parameters (and the terminology) of our national discussion and most Americans don't even seem to notice that the parameters compare in scope somewhat unfavorably with the outline of their TV screen.
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Dartagnan
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 02:41 pm
I agree with most of what you say, Tartarin, about what happens when we allow ourselves to be exposed to the junk that TV and radio news are putting forth these days. But heck, I surf through everything now and then: ESPN, cable news, shopping channels, MTV, religious channels, CSPAN. I'll even watch the Latino channel sometimes, though I understand next to no Spanish.
I'm not sure it's doing much to me; maybe it is. I think of it like walking through a shopping mall. It's vaguely interesting, but I'm not going to eat in the food court!
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snood
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 03:55 pm
Like you, D'art - I guess the only hesitance I have about what Tartarin says is that I consider myself someone who still can view the media with some objectivity - even after being here all my life. After all, who wants to think of themselves as a gullible rube?
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Tartarin
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 05:04 pm
My theory is that it's like food. My work is as an artist, a painter. When the pressure is really on (too commitments, not enough work, etc. etc.), I have found that it's really important not only to actually eat right, keep yourself going (as with any work pressure) but make sure the intellectual intake stays fairly high. Read good stuff. Listen to terrific music. Etc. etc. Otherwise the quality of the work is noticeably less good. Now I've come to believe that these things really affect everything you do. That doesn't mean never have a pig-out evening eating yummy junk and watching a less than stellar show or movie, it just means that your regular diet needs to be good. Bad stuff on TV has long term effects on your brain just a daily meal at Pizza Hut would. There's another parallel: it's like having one too many beers. At the time, YOU think you're fine, making sense. Everyone else in the room hears you garbling your words; everyone else in the car notices the sudden braking, the little swerves...
Hey Snood! BTW (speaking of excellence, etc.) HOW 'BOUT THEM SPURS? I know you wouldn't admit being in love with another man but aren't you just a little dotty about Tim Duncan... and of course Dave.. today?
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snood
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 06:00 pm
I admire and respect Tim and Dave both - they are certainly not the average professional athletes - all tattoos and egos. In love with them? Naw, I'll leave that to you clearheaded "only feed on intelligent media" types.
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Tartarin
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 06:03 pm
Aw, come on. You've gotta recognize sheer genius, good looks, and superlative character in both those guys. Sensational. When I look at the pair of them, I'm torn between Tim (cute) and Dave (wow).
So dance, Snood!!
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Setanta
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 06:33 pm
As to the original topic, i note that neither the media nor the administration want to discuss it. I am not paranoid about the media being under administration control, but Bush & Co. are well placed to paint the Democrats as the villians if they pursue this story in the electioneering. There is no denying that they manage spin very well indeed. And the Shrub has that "teflon" quality which Reagan enjoyed. This entire incident will only be useful in the campaign if a candidate can create and push over a long period of time the perception that the sum of all the administration's lies is a deficit to the nation. It will be hard going. I'm no prognosticator, and reading history does not provide any predictive advantage. My feeling on this based soley on hunch, is that this story is likely to be forgotten in the months to come.
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Setanta
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 08:03 pm
Well, i've just now heard this story mentioned again--although it was NPR news--i don't know if the other media are going to keep after this or not. I'd hate to see this slip away.
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eoe
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 08:21 pm
Saw on ET tonight that Pvt. Lynch has received personal gifts from Katie Couric (NBC), a necklace from Diane Sawyer (ABC), and CBS has made a proposal that includes a made-for-tv movie, an appearance on MTV and loads of other outrageous things, all of them vying for the priviledge of being granted her first interview.
So, do you think she's ready to go along with the program now? Has she "regained her memory" of the ordeal?
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Setanta
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Mon 16 Jun, 2003 08:31 pm
You know, the ISP i use has CNN news, and there is a Lynch story which is the cover right now--so i'm glad to think that i was wrong in opining that the story is dying away.
This is their lead story, which apropos of what you've mentioned about CBS -- the byline is for Lynn Elber, an AP Television Writer:
Quote:
CBS News did nothing improper in dangling possible book and TV deals while pursuing an interview with rescued soldier Jessica Lynch, a spokeswoman said Monday.
There was a clear distinction between the request for an interview with Lynch and possible deals with MTV, Simon & Schuster and other Viacom divisions, CBS News spokeswoman Sandy Genelius said.
Other networks made similar inquiries, she contended.
"Most of the other network proposals did have some entertainment proposals or tie-in attached to them," Genelius said, citing comments made to her by a spokesperson for Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Network offers have been reviewed for the Lynch family by officials at the medical center in Washington, D.C., where Lynch remains hospitalized, Genelius said.
Said ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider: "We made a very straightforward pitch to Private Lynch to be interviewed by ABC News for a number of ABC News broadcasts, and that's the extent of what we offered."
A copy of the ABC News letter sent to the Lynch family in care of Walter Reed was obtained by The Associated Press. It proposes a one- or two-hour primetime special about Lynch, her rescuers and doctors, a multipart special on "Good Morning America" and the option of reports on "Nightline" and "World News Tonight."
The letter from the Disney-owned network contains no mention of possible entertainment deals.
An NBC spokesman said the network would not advance projects by other divisions under its corporate umbrella.
But a Walter Reed spokeswoman, Beverly Chidel, said many of the network interview requests that flooded in after Lynch was admitted in April did mention non-news opportunities.
"Everything was news, news and you continue reading and you start seeing entertainment (proposals)," said Chidel, who told some networks the requests were confusing and should focus solely on a news interview.
She couldn't recall details about specific network offers, she said, noting two months had passed since Lynch was hospitalized at Walter Reed.
Pfc. Lynch, 20, is considered the most compelling interview _ known as a "get" in the hyper-competitive world of TV news _ to emerge from the war in Iraq. She has yet to tell the story of her capture while on patrol in southern Iraq and subsequent rescue by Marines from an Iraqi hospital.
CBS News proposed a two-hour documentary in a letter to Lynch's family that also noted the opportunities offered by other Viacom units, The New York Times reported Monday. The Times obtained CBS' correspondence to the Lynch family and to the hospital.
"Attached you will find the outlines of a proposal that includes ideas from CBS News, CBS Entertainment, MTV networks and Simon & Schuster publishers," wrote Betsy West, a CBS News senior vice president.
CBS Entertainment executives, the proposal said, "tell us this would be the highest priority for the CBS movie division, which specializes in inspirational stories of courage."
Simon & Schuster "is extremely interested in discussing the possibilities for a book based on Jessica's journey from Palestine, West Virginia, to deep inside Iraq," according to the proposal.
MTV Networks, t he letter said, was offering a news special, a chance for Lynch and her friends to be the hosts of a music video program on MTV2, and a special edition of its hit show "Total Request Live" in her honor.
"This special would include a concert performance in Palestine, West Va., by a current star act such as Ashanti, and perhaps Ja Rule," the proposal said.
The CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes" took a similar approach to hiker Aron Ralston, who amputated his arm to free himself from a boulder in Utah. CBS offered to help him contact other Viacom divisions, the Times said.
CBS News defended its approach to Lynch.
"CBS News does not pay for interviews and it maintains a well-established separation from other parts of Viacom," the news division said in a statement Monday. The letters reiterate the division's editorial independence and state that interviews are never tied to entertainment projects, according to the statement.
Although CBS complained that the Times "selectively quoted" the letters, the network refused to make the correspondence public.
Other networks are in the hunt for Lynch but less aggressively, according to the Times. NBC News' Katie Couric sent Lynch a collection of patriotic books, while Diane Sawyer of ABC News sent a photo of Lynch's family home contained in a locket.
Lynch, a supply clerk and a private first class, became one of the best-known figures of the war after her unit made a wrong turn and was ambushed March 23 in southern Iraq. She suffered multiple broken bones, 11 of her comrades were killed and five other members of the 507th Maintenance Company were taken prisoner.
The other POWs from the 507th were released later.
