Text and Commentary

I imagine readers of Classical Values are more on top of current events than I am because I spend so much of my time trying to get a handle on ancient texts (a consuming task made easier with the aid of commentaries), so you're probably already aware of John Bolton's anger over remarks made concerning 'middle America' by Mark Malloch Brown, a U.N. diplomat from the U.K. (Instapundit was my starting point.)

Getting caught up, I read a piece on the affair in the Times Online, and found a classic case of something journalists tend to do poorly but that bloggers tend to do well, but before I continue let me acknowledge that journalism and blogging are fundamentally difference enterprises. It's not a question of blogging doing journalism better than journalists, but rather of journalists doing something which simply isn't journalism, or at least good journalism.

And that 'something' might be filed under research or background, or better yet testimony. The nature of blogging, which is often a kind of commentary, requires accountability and transparency in the smallest detail. If a blogger doesn't offer links, sources, corroboration of some kind, there will be hell to pay in the form of further commentary -- on other blogs. It's a medium that by its nature tends toward full disclosure, and the players do not allow hearsay and generalization to go unchecked.

Journalism doesn't have that luxury, and when it's done sloppily relies upon uncritical and lopsided summary to set the tone of a piece or to supply the audience with necessary background information. The journalist must make a choice about just what information is necessary, and must state it as concisely as possible, with no attempt to justify the statements made. Often, too, this information is subjective, as when a journalist writes about a dispute and summarizes allegations brought by one side, but the nature of the medium often makes it all look like fact.

We often find passive constructions and stark generalizations which may be factually true as far as they go, but which give a false impression, and one not easily challenged. In the present case, this paragraph leapt out at me:

America has a long tradition of isolationism, dating back to even before the US refused to join the League of Nations. The UN has been portrayed by far-right groups as a godless, communist and corrupt “nest of spies” ready to invade America.

Fine. The UN may have been protrayed thus by far-right groups, but the paragraph implies that this is essentially the argument both for isolationism and against the UN, as though isolationism, opposition to the UN, and fundamentalism go hand-in-hand.

This grates on a person like me, who opposes the UN on countless issues, is not an isolationist, and does not believe in god, thus having no objection to godlessness. I actually quite like it.

But the paragraph also implies that John Bolton, whom the writers call 'a Republican right-winger' (to distinguish him from those Republican left-wingers?), challenges the UN from the supposedly traditional American isolationist position, namely because he views it as 'a godless, communist and corrupt “nest of spies” ready to invade America.'

Intentional? I doubt it. Sloppy? As most journalism is. But that's the nature of the beast.

But a little commentary never hurt any text.

posted by Dennis on 06.08.06 at 08:28 PM





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Comments

Nice work. Perhaps some nit picker out there in bloglandia can tally up the fascists and religious maniacs in the UN to see how they stack up against the commies and the atheists.

Eric Scheie   ·  June 8, 2006 10:17 PM

I cordially invite you all to not enjoy and/or appreciate yourselves, myself, anyonelself, etc.

Bitches.

Cosmic Drunk   ·  June 8, 2006 11:45 PM

Bitches?

I thought the post involved assertions about communists and atheists. Aren't you BROADening the debate here?

Well, I'll broaden it further.

LIFE IS A BITCH!

(Let it be known that I did NOT say "fascist bitch.")

Eric Scheie   ·  June 9, 2006 06:55 AM


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