This week’s “On the Media” seems to be a pretty solid theme episode which actually avoids – mercifully – dealing too much with either the election or with the economy.
Well, it doesn’t deal with the economy so much as one facet of the economy – Brooke and Bob do still seem to be having a good time with beating the dead horse that is an ailing newspaper industry.
Honestly, it actually seems to be less about the ailing newspaper industry than about the ailing news industry. In fact, the first story I heard from this episode – which is on top of the list of stories on the OTM Web site – deals with writer Mark Pinsky’s plan to resurrect the WPA’s Federal Writers’ Project.
It sounds interesting, and like something I’d be interested in. It sounds like what Pinsky wants is media workers – who are losing their jobs left and right – to be given grants to work on research and documentary projects which will document American life in a way we haven’t seen since the WPA days.
The original Federal Writers’ Project did make possible to some of the greatest writers of the best writers of the 20th century, and there’s a brief piece on who exactly that entails in this case.
I can’t help but believe that it’s possible that such a program might result, after some time, in a new version of the Folkways Anthology of American Folk Music – and that’s my favorite reason to hold out hope that maybe – just maybe – our current economic situation will result in some real good.
With the exception of a momentary commentary on an assisted suicide documentary that caused some kerfluffle on the BBC recently, most of the rest of the episode is concerned with various instances of conflicts-of-interest.
Brooke and Bob each maintain a level head while discussing issues that create an uncomfortable relationship between reporter and subject (like – but more important than – the time I had a huge crush on the education reporter whose main contact at the local school system was my mom).
Though their balance is impeccable, it’s clear that they have to work for it. Listening to these stories, you get the sense that they’re chomping at the bit, wanting to pounce all over and beat the crap out of people who create conflicts of interest like a robotic Nancy Reagan given a baseball bat (with lasers) and let loose in an opium den.
I fear I may have stretched that analogy a little thin.
My point simply being that in this case, I honestly don’t expect the people reporting to remain unbiased or unaffected by what they’re reporting. This affects them. Also, I don’t think Brooke and Bob would find it entirely necessary to have a program like “On the Media” if they didn’t feel that media needed a watchdog.
I want bared teeth, I want venom. I want the Nancy Reagan robot to have photon beam eyes.
Tonight’s highlights were brought to you by Matthew, digressed from heavily also by Matthew, and ostensibly edited… by Kerry.
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