"...The Term "Star Reporter" Used To Mean Something Entirely Different..."

some written observations gleaned from the spoken observations from the November 1 show---



about that GOP "debate"---

the problem with too many “media” people…and media is the 21^st century, high tech, rooty snooty word for “journalist” is that too many media people don’t know the first thing about journalism…in the 1950’s and 1960’s and even into the 1970’s,  print, radio and television journalists brought us information…free of slant, skew, perspective or prejudice…and WITH that information, we were not only ABLE to make up our minds about issues of the day, we had to USE our minds to make up our minds about issues of the day….yes, there were commentaries and editorials in print and on television then, just as there are now…but they were designated and announced as such and so you knew, going in, that you were getting a given announcer’s personal slant on something so you could take it or leave it….what happens all too often today and what happened in spades at this latest debate, is that these “media” people aren’t remotely interested in bringing information to you or me….what they’re interested in is grandstanding…showing off…asking the “gotcha” questions that these grandstanders hope will be THE gotcha question that will unearth some deep dark secret about 

a candidate…or get them to say something stupid---or controversial---the kind of comment that will have people talking about it at the coffee maker the next day….it’s 1% journalism and 99% show biz these days….and EVERBODY wants to be a star….personally, I blame three people…..Woodward and Bernstein, the two then young writers for the Washington Post who uncovered the covering up that Nixon did about the Watergate burglary in 1972 and really did start the domino’s falling until they literally ended the Nixon presidency and, in the process, made media superstars out of Woodward and Bernstein…from that time on, the goal of journalists started to shift from the time honored journalism fundamentals of who, what, where and when to the spotlight hogging antics of who’s doing what to whom and where and when did they and/or are they doing it to them?....and there is no longer any such thing as objective reporting of the news….and how do you tell if a news reporter or editor or anchor has an agenda? they’re talking…..oh and the other blame? Simon Cowell….because he created American Idol and convinced people that when it came to going from nobody to superstar in the blink of an eye, pretty much everybody and anybody had, at least, a pretty good shot at it….these days? almost invisibly thin line between singers who sing and reporters who zing…and the one thing they ALL have in common big time? the love of that limelight, baby….and IF, as happens rarely, they really aren’t interested in the fame or fortune, per se? then they see themselves as champion of the people, rooting out evil, fighting a never ending battle for truth, justice and the American way……..because, let’s face it, when it comes to working in news? why be bored to death simply doing a quality job of providing factual information that people can use when you can be one cool kick ass champion of those people? ….oh, and by the way, one last two cents worth of opinion…this guy John Harwood, the lead “moderator”?….don’t know him, don’t know his work but if I was asked to size him up based on what I saw Wednesday night? he’s a blowhard asshat who apparently sees himself as one of those champions of the people….Walter Cronkite…come back!......come back!

about Lacey Lafferty suing a political blogger for "slander"

I don’t have anything personal against or axe to grind with Lacey Lafferty….I have, in fact, had her as a phone guest on this show and found her to be interesting and what I took to be sincere in her desire to be of service to Delawareans….that said, in the year 2015 I would have a problem supporting any candidate who expresses themselves like Ms. Lafferty…if only because in the year 2015, I’m always looking to see where a candidate stands on what I believe to be a single issue of critical importance…education….promoting it, advocating for it and being a good and living 

example for it…and, picky as it might sound, I’m not inclined to be impressed with someone wanting to be one of only fifty people in the entire nation who hold the office of governor that don’t know, at the very least, how to use spell checker….the word is gubernaTORial….not gubernaTERial as Ms. Lafferty wrote and posted for all to see in her Facebook response….maybe readin, writin’, writhmatic and book LARNIN weren’t all that big a deal in 1915…..2015?  big deal……and given the choice, I’ll go with the candidate who shines as an example of higher education to the kids every time….even if they like to dance the hula  (Google Lafferty Hula Dancers and enjoy the video)