All the Presidents Men....

leftleg

All the Presidents Men…




The Other night I sat and watched a 1976 film called All the president’s men about the Watergate scandal that led to the downfall of President Nixon, and it got me thinking. One scene in particular caught my eye among it all. The film concerns two reporters who will stop at nothing to get to the end of the story, which leads all the way to the highest echelons in the America Government of the time. These two reporters were Al Bernstein and Bob Woodword.

I]Bernstein has taken one of Woodword’s stories off his desk and turned it in[/I
Bob Woodword: “ If you’re gonna do it, do it right. If you’re gonna hype it, hype it with the facts. I don’t mind what you did. I mind the way you did it.”

I found another interesting article from the Huffington post written by none other than Alec Baldwin. Normally I try to turn a blind eye to Actors getting in any way political but he did strike a chord with one particular point in the post.

“Journalism is what is required now. And, yes, some commentary. But more journalism than commentary. That's what a newspaper does. That's why newspapers are quoted so often as the sources of actual news on this very site. Newspapers are about journalism. The internet, and sites like this, are about commentary. People sign on and give their opinion. But that is not journalism. That is commentary, internet style, whereby most people are not trained as journalists and the comments of many posters here are anonymous. You can piss on anyone you want, say anything you want, and so long as it is within the boundaries of HuffPo politesse, you are in.”

Now back to the real world. During the week Alan Quinlan mentioned on Against the head that he felt that Ronan O’ Gara should go on tour with the lions. He was again subtly backed up by Gerry Thornley in the Times.

“Wilkinson runs the risk of attracting a media circus, but if he maintains his form with Toulon he may be impossible to resist. A certain Cork man can’t be ruled out entirely either.”

Now we all love to see Irish men tour with the lions. The more the merrier yeah? But analyse O Gara over the last few months and it becomes a bit of a head scratcher. Compare him to say Wilko. Johnny Wilkinson decided to call it a day after a disappointing RWC in 2011. He bid Au revoir to the national team. Let the youth come through and bask in their time. He happily called a spade a spade. On our side of the channel Ronan has continued to make the international bench and is even starting for Munster this weekend. In his last two international appearances he has managed to stick out for all the wrong reasons. Kicking the ball away needlessly against South Africa in the last move of the game and a failed attempt at a quick 22 against Argentina that would even make Dan Parks grimace. Even provincially, I cant actually remember the last time he took a game by the scruff like he used to. His last notable score to date is the drop goal against Northampton. That aside he's done very little of any note. He's a legend of the game and probably the best out half the country has produced but like Johnny did last year, maybe its time Ronan called a spade a spade.

The question remains why has Alan Quinlan and Gerry (whether subtly or openly) stuck Ronan’s name on the lions possibilities list? The media in general whether on TV or on paper have a responsibility to report impartial fact.

We as consumers pay decent money to buy the Times or Indo in print to read facts about all things knowledgeable in our insatiable quests to be more learned. We go to these papers because we expect to get facts about the goings on today. Lately I’ve found myself going to both to see how much lower they can go. That’s fine for some commentary articles from commentators and media hacks. But now journalism seems more and more to resemble trolling. Some have even mentioned that maybe the name of the game is getting the most “hits” on their stories. Why if anyone could get a job being a “journalist” judged not on content but on the “hits” they get, Id say the amount of “journalists” available would multiply by the millions. As Bob Woodword said “if you’re gonna hype it, hype it with the facts.” My question looms, what plausible and serious fact could you possibly give for hyping O’ Gara to Australia in 2013?



In another classic cynical jab at the media again from 1976, the late great American director Sydney Lumet’s wonderful Network, a film about how a TV network cynically exploits a deranged ex TV anchor’s ravings and revelations about the media for their own profit.

Liam Toland in today’s Times reminded me of this film.

“Declan Kidney is an unbelievable winner, having provided enormous success, but that’s no longer sufficient. If Ireland fail to perform in Cardiff there must be change on Sunday morning, February 3rd; otherwise last weekend was nothing but a Stephen Hawking illusion.”

Bravo Liam, Bravo. This is possibly the first time in the Kidney era that a “journalist” has come out and said what he thinks about the situation. It’s a sad state of affairs that this small two liner at the end of the article should carry more weight than the whole paper itself. It reminded me of the lead Anchor man (The late great Peter Finch) in the film Network having his now infamous on screen meltdown.

Is this what’s needed to get the majority of the media to change their ways or open their eyes.



(I refuse to make any comment on the Indo’s Conor George in this article, take your own guesses from that)

Reference from Baldwin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alec-baldwin/journalism-vs-commentary_b_186212.html
Thanks to imdb for the film posters

Quint2010

Sounds like a non-denial denial to me...:)