Consuming the News
“A democratic society depends upon an informed
and educated citizenry.”
--Thomas Jefferson
We hear a lot of generalizations about the “media” these days. A lot of people say they don’t trust the media and they say “the media” are doing a bad job, or that it’s biased. We hear similar generalizations about schools and universities, about corporations and government and about ethnic and religious groups.
But you don’t hear such generalizations about restaurants. No one’s talking about the terrible job restaurants are doing these days. There’s something about food that is so intimate and sensory and particular that we hesitate to generalize. If I said there’s no good food to be had in Houston, someone is going to come back and say, “Wait a minute, what about Tony’s and Café Annie and DeMarco’s on the upscale end, what about the new ownership of Ninfa’s at the old location on Navigation, what about that Belgian restaurant in the storefront on Westheimer, what about that Thai place on Telephone where the parking lot is always full?” And then on and on the discussion would go, because most people go out to eat once and while and they take particular note of what they like and don’t like, and importantly, what’s a good value.
Strange that people don’t take the same approach to the news media. Maybe that’s because there’s no media review system the way there is for restaurants, no guide like the one Allison Cook writes for the Chronicle in the Thursday preview section.
We ought to be as particular about the information we consume as we are about the food we consume. So here’s a guide to the news media. I hope we can explore it and expand on it, and that during the semester you will make contributions to it.
Below are some of my observations. I hope to build this list up. Send me your thoughts.
National Magazines
The New Yorker. Since 1927. Edited by David Remnick, who has written remarkable well on subjects that range from Russia to Muhammed Ali. The magazine has published some of the best coverage of the Iraq war. Its staff writers include investigative reporter Seymour Hersh, who broke the first big story on Abu Ghraib. Jane Mayer, their Washington correspondent, wrote an important piece on “renditions” and the secret prisons the CIA has set up in Eastern Europe. The New Yorker publishes excellent movie and book reviews. It publishes the best non-fiction in the country on a range of subjects. Its “Talk of the Town” pieces in the front of the book can be light and jaunty, but the lead pieces by Hedrick Herzberg about the current administration have been scathing. This magazine is considered the height of achievement for nonfiction writers.
The Atlantic
Harper’s. Front of the book often interesting, with excerpts exotic places, and the Harper’s index, a collection of statistics that suggest a multitude of implications.
The New Republic, liberal and iconoclastic except when it comes to Israel.
The Nation. Liberal liberal liberal. Sometimes screechy and dogmatic. Sometimes funny. Sometimes predictable. Sometimes good. Katha Pollit, feminist columnist comes to UH in the fall.
The New York Review of Books. Long reviews of serious sometimes academic books by outstanding experts. Generates some original reporting on big issue of the day by independent journalists and academics. Expensive. ($69 a year) Can be searched online through the library.
The National Review, conservative journal founded by the late William Buckley.
Time. Has downsized the print edition and is focusing on its web audience. The magazine features more essays than hard news reporting. This is said to be the future of print: interpreting the news, but leaving the breaking of it the electronic media. Great graphics.
Newspapers
The New York Times. The national newspaper for the intelligentsia. Authoritative on international affairs. Superb arts reviewing. Liberal editorial page. Important columnists include Nicholas Kristof on Darfur, international sex slave trafficking, economist Paul Krugman, a liberal economist who teaches at Princeton very good at explaining economic issues; David Brooks, a conservative who is not an ideologue, writes from the center and offers insight into social psychology; William Kristol, a conservative ideologue recruited to balance the liberals; Maureen Dowd can be funny but screechy and isn’t doing much reporting, but once covered the first Bush for the Washington bureau; Frank Rich, theater critic turned Sunday political columnists writes about politics as theater. “Public Editor” on Sundays is an independent review of Times coverage and policies. William Grimes is a first rate book reviewer in the daily pages. Holland Cotter is a fine art critic. The Houston Chronicle carries a good many NY Times stories. Monday business section is devoted to the media with great columnist David Carr.
The Wall Street Journal, under new ownership of Rupert Murdoch. Extremely right wing editorial page. Balanced news coverage, expanding beyond Wall Street. In transition under its new ownership. A national newspaper.
The Washington Post. Its beat is Washington. It wants to beat the Times as often does. If you want to know what’s going on in Washington politics, this is the place to go. Conservative editorial page. Outstanding political commentary.
The Houston Chronicle. How else are you going to know about your city? Rick Casey is a solid columnist with an arch sense of putdown, often on legal and political matters. Lisa Gray writes columns on cultural matters. Dwight Silverman on computers. Leon Hale, in his early 80s still writing on Sundays, and worth reading to see a style that is going out of style. Douglas Britt a recent UH graduate is doing well on the art beat. Alison Cook on restaurants is one of the best food critics in the country. (See the Thursday Preview section.) Mary Flood, a lawyer, writes about the law and lawyers. No Washington columnist since Craigg Hines retired. Shannon Tompkins, the outdoors writer is one of the best of his kind in the nation, and probably the best feature writer on the staff. (Check Thursday sports section.) Largest paper owned by the Hearst chain. Strong web site.
Radio
National Public Radio: KUHF, 88.7 FM, “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered”. Thoughtful stories, centrist, balanced point of view, great stories on music (radio being a natural medium for music). Great web site.
KPFT 90.1 FM, volunteer radio, leftist point of view, many interesting programs on social issues, including Ray Hill’s “Prison Show” on Friday nights. The star of the station is “Democracy Now” with Amy Goodman, which is also broadcast on cable tv. The show is not on fringes as one might think. The first ten minutes of summary of the days news will make you think twice about what is not covered by the MSM or how it is covered. BBC news on weekdays. Check out web site for Arab Voices Generation Radio.
Television
ABC News. Charles Gibson, the avuncular anchor. Probably the most critical of the Bush administration.
NBC News, Anchor Brian Williams excelled during Katrina coverage. Funny and sharp, and sometimes trades jokes and remarks with his MSNBC colleague Jon Stewart.
CBS News. Katie Couric still struggling. Not taken seriously. 60 Minutes still at the top of magazine shows on television.
PBS Television Bill Moyers on Friday night at 9. Critical liberalism at its best. Everyone should see Moyers at least once. Frontline offered a masterful summary of the Iraq war called Bush’s War. Not much new, but never has it all be put together so well.
MSNBC: Hardball at 6 with Chris Matthews, a Catholic family man and political junkie who thinks the war is a disaster. Countdown with Keith Obermann, irreverent passionate critic of Bush and Fox news’s Bill O’Reilly. As close as you can get to Jon Stewart on a “straight” newscast.
Fox News: the conservative line-up, of O’Reilly and Sean Hannity. Often self-righteous and critical of the MSM.
Comedy Channel: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report, make fun of television news and politicians, not necessarily in that order. Young people are said to watch it more than the real news. Both have serious guests on their shows, and Stewart can be a firm and persuasive interviewer, who seems to read the books his guests bring on to tout, or has someone read them and feed him some great questions.
Blogs
Huffington Post
Talking Points, edited Jona Mica Marshall, won George Polk Award for reporting on the attorney general scandal. Using his readers as sources, he called attention to the firing of attorneys general for their failure to investigate Democratic politicians. He’s got reporters working for him and is one of the great success stories of political blogging.
Blue Bayou. John Whiteside on the Houston Chronicle’s website, is a thoughtful volunteer and has developed a following. How long can he do this for free?
Websites
The Media Line. by our visitors for reporting on the Middle East.
Pew Websites, for public opinion polls, trends.
The Brookings Institution, liberal think tank has tracked the Iraq war.
The Heritage Foundation, conservative think tank.
FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) liberal organization critical of conservatism and conventional thinking of MSM.
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