Dec 31, 2020 | 2020 Election, Black Lives Matter, Coronavirus, Family, Journalism, Something. To. Say. |
Top 10 List of 2020’s Good Things
Hello Everybody. I have something to say about the demise of the year 2020. It was awful and you know what was awful about it. But I gave it another think and managed to eke out some positive results. So, without further ado, My Top Ten List of the good that came out of 2020.
BIDEN
- We elected Joe Biden as our new president. And Kamala Harris, a woman of color is going to be vice president.
TRUMP
- We won’t have to see Donald Trump’s orange face and crazy yellow hair. We won’t have to hear his narcissistic ravings or read his crazy tweets.
VACCINE
- We saw scientists and researchers spend only 9 months in their labs to invent several vaccines to prevent us from getting the Covid-19 coronavirus.
FAMILY
- Because many of us were locked down, we spent more time with our families. Parents liked that. Kids liked that. They got to know each other better.
NEIGHBORLINESS
- And we saw selflessness. Neighbors helping neighbors. Young folks getting groceries for old folks. People cooking and delivering meals to families where the parents have lost their jobs.
PRESS
- We saw some of the best investigative journalism ever practiced at one time in our history. Reporters proved to many that they aren’t the enemy of the people, but the protectors of our democracy.
TECHNOLOGY
- With technology, we learned you can do a lot of things virtually. Doctors’ appointments, conferences, meetings. And that technology like Zoom is being used to teach our kids.
ENTERTAINMENT
- We didn’t go to movie theaters, so the movies came to us. Yes, we could watch big blockbuster films in our homes through streaming services.
COOKING
- We re-discovered the joy of cooking. But now, with nothing to do, nowhere to go, we learned that it’s tough to beat a good home cooked meal.
BODIES GOT A BREAK
- We gave our bodies a break by not wearing restricting ties, brassieres and Spanx in favor of sweatpants and lounging stuff.
It goes without saying that it was positive, what doctors and nurses and first responders did to help us during the pandemic. It’s good, that people now realize how much they do for us.
Now we welcome 2021. As we do every year, we pray that the new year will make up for the year before. So, we’ll try this again. Happy New Year.
May 31, 2019 | Journalism, Something. To. Say., The Media, Trump |
I have something to say about Fake News. I’m sick of hearing “fake news.” The term suggests that what you read and watch in the mainstream media is just made up by journalists. And by mainstream media I mean the long-established newspapers and television networks, like the New York Times, NBC and CNN.
Donald Trump started this fake news drumbeat when news stories were critical of him–his behavior, his policies, and his character. He is trying to make the American people believe that the great news organizations are just making up stuff and you can’t trust ‘em.
Journalists are reporting the hell out of the Trump presidency to inform, you the people, but Trump calls reporters the enemy of the people. Attacking journalists is one of the first tactics used by autocrats to solidify their supreme power. Is that what you want?
The Mueller report said in essence that Trump was the biggest purveyor of fake news using his tweets to lie and mislead the American people. We don’t have division in this country because of fake news, but because we have a fake president.
Oct 19, 2012 | Journalism, Politics, Sexism, Women |
Should there be any doubt now that women can handle presidential debates, as well as men? That they can conduct a live television event that lasts for 90 minutes before an audience of 60 million viewers? That they can be smart, bold and professional in dealing with the men who would be president and vice president of this great nation?
No. There should be no doubt at all. CNN’s Candy Crowley and ABC’s Martha Raddatz have finally banished that old false notion that “men are better” to the R-I-P grave it deserves.
Of course, after former PBS anchor Jim Lehrer lost control of the first presidential debate in Denver, Raddatz and Crowleywere masterful in comparison. Lehrer, the journalist who was moderating his 12th presidential debate, at times threw up his hands in exasperation as President Obama–but mostly Governor Mitt Romney–ignored the guidelines on time limits for statements and rebuttals. The testy rivals literally wrested the debate away from Lehrer and he was pretty much reduced to the role of a potted plant.
Raddatz then moderated the vice presidential debate where she had been forewarned that Vice President Joe Biden might engage in some “funny stuff.” Biden found Paul Ryan funny and he found himself funny, but under the firm hand of Raddatz, both men did as they were directed. The vice presidential debate was not only enlightening but also enjoyable.
Poor Candy Crowley. She had to moderate the second debate in the town hall format, which became the most contentious presidential matchup in recent memory. There she was with a nervous audience of 80 undecided voters and two men who can’t stand each other. Obama and Romney could not be more different: in family history, socioeconomic upbringing, political ideology, social status, and of course, color. The only thing they have in common is Harvard Law School and nice families.
Obama blew the first debate by appearing disengaged and bored with the whole process. Romney, with an energetic and aggressive style won the debate “by a mile.”
The President was determined to change the public’s perception of him by changing his style, his answers, and his enthusiasm for the second debate. Romney was ready for the Obama makeover. Candy Crowley was ready for both of them.
I wouldn’t have traded places with her for anything. The candidates entered the arena; yes that’s what the debate floor became. The two men were already seething despite the plastered smiles and phony handshake.
This was supposed to be a debate dominated by questions from the undecided voters, but it quickly deteriorated into something that looked like a cockfight.
Throughout the debate Candy was juggling so many balls in the air: listening to the producer in her ear; calling on audience members; watching the time; asking follow up questions; paying attention to the candidates’ answers; deciding who had the next question or rebuttal.
She was doing all this with an up-close and too personal display of male bravado. I was waiting for one of the candidates to beat his chest or jump on the other’s back. It was that nasty.
Candy, with the utmost politeness, struggled to remain in control despite being insulted by Governor Romney. Did she retreat like a shy violet or burst into tears? Not her. She prevailed.
Candy raised two sons. I have to believe that she harkened back to those days when her boys misbehaved and she had to discipline them. Now before her eyes were the President of theUnited Statesand the former Governor of Massachusetts circling each other defiantly like naughty boys. She finally said, with all the power she could muster in her voice, “Mr. Romney, sit down.” And he did.
In 2016, the Commission on Presidential Debates should not hesitate to seek out women to be moderators. Candy Crowley and Martha Raddatz have proved that the best women can stand on equal footing with the best men. Thank you, ladies.
Mar 14, 2011 | Journalism |
It’s been three months since my book, NewsLady, went on sale. From what I can tell sales have been brisk, but I don’t have any dollar figures from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or Author House. I never expected to write a best seller, but way in the back of my mind there was a tiny glimmer of hope.
I certainly had many media interviews to get the word out. CNN, C-Span, NPR, XM Radio, local television and The Daily Beast. I’m hoping there will be more opportunities.
One recent Sunday I was reading the New York Times Book Review and decided to peek at the best seller list. What happened to what long ago used to be just the hardcover fiction and nonfiction books? To see if my book showed up, I had to search through 12 lists. 12!
There were the expected lists of hardcover fiction and nonfiction. Then, the e-book best sellers, fiction and nonfiction. The paperbacks were broken down into trade fiction, mass-market fiction, and nonfiction. Hardcover and paperbacks in the all-inclusive category of Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous, followed these. I didn’t spend much time perusing the Children’s Best Sellers, which included picture books, chapter books, paperbacks and series. Surprisingly, the new super category, the first one you get to, is called Combined Print and E-Book Best Sellers.
That certainly gives you a good idea of where the book publishing industry is heading. Many people told me they were getting an e-book of my story. Their excuse? It’s cheaper: $9.99 versus $28.00. On a spring break cruise, I would guess half the passengers were reading iPads, Kindles, or other electronic readers. The rest had the odd paperback or hardcover book.
Oh, my. Will my grandchildren never know the joy of cracking open a brand new hard back book, of flattening the pages and settling in for a pleasant read? Will they never turn the pages to continue the engrossing story they are reading? Will they never dog-ear or use a highlighter to mark the best parts? I can’t imagine them having homes someday without colorful, bulging bookcases which seem to bespeak an educated household. Who is going to see their e-books? Oh, they will. Big deal.
Back to the best seller lists in my category. President Bush was there and Donald Rumsfeld. Yes, and the Tiger Mother and Keith Richards. Even Inside of a Dog, the world from a dog’s point of view. Did I see NewsLady on any of the relevant best seller lists? No. Not yet. I still have that tiny glimmer of hope.
Feb 21, 2011 | Journalism, LGBTQ, Women |
The announcement from CBS News was horrifying. Lara Logan, the network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, suffered “a brutal and sustained sexual assault” in Cairo. I turned the words around in my head: “brutal,” “sustained” and “sexual assault.” She was beaten, as well. I could only imagine that she had experienced the worst physical attack a woman could receive without being killed.
She was just trying to do her job, preparing a “60 Minutes” report on the overthrow of hated dictator, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In Cairo’s Tahrir Square hundreds of thousands of protestors could not contain their jubilation when they heard the news that Mubarak had stepped down.
In the midst of a frenzied mob of 200, mostly men, Logan got separated from her television crew and their security. A lone Western woman with long blond hair must have been too tempting to the thugs in the crowd. They didn’t know she was a star American reporter. She was just a woman. She was grabbed and subjected to unspeakable acts, which only ended when some Egyptian women and later a few soldiers came to her aid.
Reactions to Logan’s heinous assault have been sexist. “Women have no business covering war zones.” “Women are weak and vulnerable and should be protected from dangerous assignments.” “Women who are blond and pretty are more susceptible to attack.” “Women with children should stay home.”
Let’s not forget the number of male journalists, who have left families at home to do war reporting, or the number who have been beaten, wounded and sodomized. You haven’t heard arguments that men are not up to the job. Think of all the brave women, who serve in our armed forces, and have not only been sexually assaulted by the enemy, but by their fellow male soldiers. You don’t hear about them whining and complaining to be sent home. They know they have a job to do and like Logan, no matter the danger, they are determined to do it.
Over the past 10 years Logan has been reporting from nearly every “hot spot” in the world: Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, and elsewhere. She has been fearless and her reports have been distinguished.
It took many years for women reporters to prove to their male bosses that they could be war correspondents. In television, newswomen such as Christiane Amanpour and Sheila MacVicar proved their mettle, as well as countless female radio and newspaper reporters. It would be a shame if Logan’s experience in Egypt were used as an excuse to keep women from getting the risky assignments many of them are ready and willing to take on. Women journalists need no more excuses for male bosses to discriminate against their gender.
Lara Logan is out of the hospital and recuperating at home under the loving care of her family, which includes her two small children. It is my greatest hope that she heals physically and emotionally from her attacks. She’s still a woman but a damn brave one.
Feb 4, 2011 | Journalism |
The massive crackdown on foreign journalists in Egypt is unprecedented. Reporters and photographers are being beaten, detained, harassed, intimidated and even threatened with beheading. I used to work with some of the reporters and camera crews.
They had gathered in Cairo–journalists from countries all over the world–to cover a major international story, which may have resounding effects, not only on the Arab World, but the world at large. Egyptian leaders, namely President Hosni Mubarak, didn’t like the television reports showing peaceful protestors demanding that Mubarak resign. He didn’t like the stories about his brutal dictatorship and the poor conditions suffered by the Egyptian people. Once the government put together a bunch of their paid thugs to lead pro-Mubarak demonstrations, things got real ugly, real fast.
The world press gave its readers, listeners and viewers the ugly: the stories about the physical violence by Egyptians against Egyptians. The video of men riding horses and camels running head long into the “troublemakers” with whips and long knives was a startling sight. It looked like a scene from “Lawrence of Arabia.” The media showed the injured anti-Mubarak protesters with their heads and bodies bloodied. Night scopes on TV cameras caught the fighting after dark with gleaming Molotov cocktails being thrown from rooftops onto the people below, the people demanding a new democratic Egypt.
Mubarak couldn’t stand it. So what do you do when somebody reports things you don’t want to hear? You blame them. You want to kill the messenger and ignore the problems he/she reports. Shakespeare was perhaps the first to write about “killing the messenger” in Henry IV, Part II, and ironically, in Antony and Cleopatra. Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt Cleopatra.
So the words went out from Presidential Palace in Cairo, “Get the journalists.” “Make it impossible for them to do their reporting.” “We don’t want the whole world watching.” “Get rid of foreign interference.”
With violent force Egyptian officials have prevented television stations from using the live cameras situated around the square where pitched battles are continuing. This action taken to insure that the rest of the world could no longer see what is happening. Without media coverage the government is free to mount a reign of terror on those who would dare call for the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. People will not get hurt; they will get killed. That’s why the media presence is so critically important to protect human rights.
Yes, media coverage can have profound effects. What happened in Tunisia and Egypt has now touched off anti-government protests in Yemen, Jordan, and Syria. Of course, the people of these other Arab countries were emboldened by what they had seen reported elsewhere.
Journalism is a noble profession. Its practitioners seek the truth so they can inform the public they serve. It can be a dangerous job. Reporters voluntarily went to Egypt, to Afghanistan, to Iraq, to Bosnia, to the Indonesian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Many journalists are in jail because some leader didn’t like their reporting and many have been killed in recent years in places most people probably couldn’t even pronounce.
There are some Americans always complaining about the media being to blame for society’s ills. I hope the turmoil in Egypt helps show them the value of a free press. They need to stop trying to kill the messenger and pay heed to the message.
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