[Peace-discuss] matt taibbi on why most journalists suck

[Laurie Solomon]

The most interesting part of this is that Logan appears to duplicated the very same stupid act that the General and his staff did.  How smart is that?  It appears that chief foreign correspondents really are foreign to reality and do not learn from history or others mistakes. Now the question becomes who would and why should anyone trust Logan or anything that Logan reports  To go a step further, if CBS keeps Logan on staff, one has to question the truth and accuracy of CBS' reporting and their functioning as an independent source of the news rather than a PR agency for the U.S. Government.


From: E.Wayne Johnson 
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 12:25 PM
To: peace discuss 
Subject: [Peace-discuss] matt taibbi on why most journalists suck


Anyone who wants to know why network television news hasn't mattered since the seventies just needs to check out this appearance by Logan. Here's CBS's chief foreign correspondent saying out loud on TV that when the man running a war that's killing thousands of young men and women every year steps on his own dick in front of a journalist, that journalist is supposed to eat the story so as not to embarrass the flag. And the part that really gets me is Logan bitching about how Hastings was dishonest to use human warmth and charm to build up enough of a rapport with his sources that they felt comfortable running their mouths off in front of him. According to Logan, that's sneaky - and journalists aren't supposed to be sneaky:

"What I find is the most telling thing about what Michael Hastings said in your interview is that he talked about his manner as pretending to build an illusion of trust and, you know, he's laid out there what his game is. That is exactly the kind of damaging type of attitude that makes it difficult for reporters who are genuine about what they do, who don't - I don't go around in my personal life pretending to be one thing and then being something else. I mean, I find it egregious that anyone would do that in their professional life."

When I first heard her say that, I thought to myself, "That has to be a joke. It's sarcasm, right?" But then I went back and replayed the clip - no sarcasm! She meant it! If I'm hearing Logan correctly, what Hastings is supposed to have done in that situation is interrupt these drunken assholes and say, "Excuse me, fellas, I know we're all having fun and all, but you're saying things that may not be in your best interest! As a reporter, it is my duty to inform you that you may end up looking like insubordinate douche bags in front of two million Rolling Stone readers if you don't shut your mouths this very instant!"



http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/matt-taibbi/blogs/TaibbiData_May2010/122137/83512

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