MediaMyopic

For those of you, like myself, who have been skeptical of the soft Iraq war coverage of the last few years have had their worst fears confirmed. This week The New York Times revealed an extensive covert plot from the Pentagon that involved deploying close to 100 pseudo political ‘pundits’ with scripted pro-war propaganda aimed at controlling public opinion. And we’re not just talking about Fox News. The Times reports that these ‘pundits,’ or as the White House calls them, “message force multipliers,” infiltrated Fox, CBS, NBC, CNN, ABC and MSNBC news programs. These pundits were recruited by the Bush Administration to disseminate misleading war information and false praises of the U.S. war effort. The result is Bush’s most duplicitous breach of public trust since taking office. Gone is the watchdog role of the media, the Fourth Estate designed to safeguard our democratic virtues and keep public officials honest. If this violation of federal law, which prohibits government sanctioned covert propaganda, doesn’t warrant impeachment, then clearly the system is broken. If you care about safeguarding the integrity of information flow, act now and tell Congress that this is unacceptable.

With the most tightly contested western conference playoffs race in league history, some of the highest scoring games in NBA history (Denver, 168; Chicago, 151), the revival of storied franchises like the Celtics and Lakers, the emergence of talents like Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, and the best Slam Dunk Contest in my lifetime, basketball fans have much to clamor for as the NBA playoffs kick off this weekend. I encourage fans to celebrate the season, but with a few caveats. The following are what I call the Top 5 media myths of the 2007-08 NBA season: 5) The Eastern Conference Sucks: Actually, the Pistons and Celtics have the best shot at winning it all; Orlando is also a contender; Philadelphia has one of the best post All Star break records; and teams like the Pacers (Jermaine O’Neal, Jamaal Tinsley), Raptors (T.J. Ford) and Wizards (Gil Arenas) would be close to the top of the standings if not for injuries to key players. 4) LeBron James is an MVP candidate: LeBron doesn’t make his teammates better (even after a trade that brought over Ben Wallace and overdue outside shooting), he doesn’t make his team better. And after several seasons in the league remains stuck in .500 mediocrity. Unbelievable that he’s put in the same category as Kobe or Chris Paul. 3) The possibility of the first-round upset: this year’s western conference is a complete anomaly. Since the league changed the first round playoff format from a 5 to 7-game series, the only notable upset was last year’s Golden State-Dallas series. A lenghty series never bodes well for the underdog, so don’t expect any surprises in the Eastern Conference. 2) The Houston Rockets have a prayer: They were simply operating on the adrenaline of a historic win streak. It’s absurd that some analysts have suggested that a team of misfits led by an inconsistent all star could come out of the pack. Golden State is more deserving of a playoff spot. 1) That commentators Doug Collins, Kenny Smith, Tim Legler and Craig Sager know what they’re talking about: These clowns don’t have a clue. If you really want the 411, listen to Barkley and Stephen A. Smith.

Last summer the Vatican announced the 10 Commandments for motorists. In May it amended the church’s list of sins to include harming Mother Earth, joining the ranks of gluttony, envy, sloth and other less desirable traits. It’s nice to see this modernizing of religious principle, but Pope Benedict XVI conveniently omitted ‘thou shall not indulge.’ In a society so preoccupied with consumerism, industry and progress, why not chime in on our lifestyle of excess? Perhaps that’s because, according to Newsweek, the Pope’s visit to Washington, D.C. earlier this month was marred by the peculiar decision to sport Prada shoes. Perhaps it’s a desire to stimulate the local Italian economy or, Pope Benedict XVI is simply a label whore. For those of you, like myself, who have never stepped foot in a Prada store, a pair of men’s shoes will typically cost you between $300-400. With unprecedented levels of poverty in the world, and an increasing divide between rich and poor, I’d be curious to know how Mother Theresa or Gandhi would feel about the lavish wardrobe. It certainly makes me think twice when the Catholics come by with their second collection basket at Sunday Mass.

Maybe it’s the sunny spring weather or the art of accepting defeat with grace. But, more likely, it’s the possibility of the vice presidency that puts the bickering among losing presidential candidates on the back burner. It’s the time of year where those who have bowed out get political by coyly deflecting any notion of their desire for the White House. John Edwards, for one, has denied that he would accept a second nod for vice president – yet, strangely, refuses to endorse the two remaining Democratic candidates. Those who are indifferent to serving as vice president do not withhold endorsements; those who hope to serve in that capacity wait out the results of a clear nominee before praising a particular candidate. It remains unclear whom McCain will choose from the GOP’s Island of Misfit Toys. It is also doubtful that – now Clinton’s embarrassing fall from grace includes Geraldo (Rivera)-esque fabrications of landing amidst sniper shooting in Bosnia – the Obama-Hillary ticket will ever evolve. But Obama was quoted last week as saying he’d offer Al Gore, who claims to have “fallen out of love” with politics, a cabinet position. And that’s the best idea I’ve heard since these overly saturated presidential campaigns began.

The image of Silda Spitzer, a successful, driven and seemingly independent woman, stand belittled at the podium beside her husband Eliot Spitzer as he revealed — to his constituency and the world — his philandering with prostitutes, is a rather unsettling one given this period in time. While I’m not one to tout feminist theory, I certainly expect more from women given the progress made since the 60s. And women should be ashamed of her — not because she was the root of the conflict for ‘not pleasing her man,’ as quack Laura Schlessinger suggested, — but because she’s treating infidelity with such nonchalance. Today marriage is more of a mirage, a front or political manuever (as Hillary Clinton has shown us) rather than an act of sanctity. When were relationships reduced to PR moves? There should have been one person at that podium facing the repercussions of his actions. And the issue is far from isolated: new NY Governor David Paterson recently admitted to a number of extramarital affairs, and Chelsea Clinton snapped at a Butler University student who questioned Hillary’s decision to ’stand by’ Bill after getting busy with an overweight intern sporting a beret. Ah well, at least Tammy Wynette’s singing your praises.

Remember when the War in Iraq used to be a hot topic in the media? Yeah, me neither. Five years after invading Iraq under the guise of ‘terrorism,’ the military is no closer to an exit strategy or to winning the war, for that matter. And mainstream media can’t be bothered. More U.S. soldiers succumbed to roadside bombs last week, bringing the total troop fatality close to 4,000; meanwhile a suicide bomber took the lives of 40 plus civilians and injured 60 others. According to Newsweek, Republican presidential nominee John McCain has vowed to stay in Iraq another 100 years, if that’s what it takes to ensure victory. The hubris isn’t much better on the Democratic side; during her victory speech after the Ohio and Texas primaries, Hillary Clinton promised to ‘win’ the war. First, somebody needs to define ‘win.’ Secondly, Clinton began her campaign with the false promise of implementing an exit strategy within 60 days of taking office. But my frustration with the lack of Iraq dialogue subsided, momentarily, when I caught this sketch (below) on MADtv. At least the comedians got it right.

True or false, everything makes Fox news these days. And now the conservative network has taken sensationalism to a whole new level since Rupert Murdoch’s MySpace acquisition. Every time a child goes missing, or a school endures another ‘bloody melee,’ Fox reports the most minute details on the victims and villains — their favorite song, background information, and personality inferences. Where do they get this information? Not family. Not friends. Not even opportunistic neighbors looking for a few seconds on the camera. Fox’s most tapped into source is MySpace, a site where: 1) someone can make a page about anyone they want to. 2) Pages can be inactive for several years, with out-of-date information. 3) People can manipulate other pages by posting misleading pictures or inaccurate information. And 4) Viewers can misinterpret sarcastic pop culture references or inside jokes among friends. Fox’s coverage of former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer’s fall from grace was emblematic of the absurdity. The network’s stories of the hooker Spitzer sought services from, Ashley Dupre, relied solely on the woman’s MySpace page — the latest fact-gathering shortcut of Fox ‘journalists.’ The famous “a source told Fox” has been replaced with “according to MySpace.”

The anti-corruption bully of New York has proven, once again, that Democrats prefer sex scandals over fiscal scandals. Speaking at a press conference earlier today, Governor Eliot Spitzer admitted his involvement in an extensive prostitution ring. According to the New York Times, court documents name Spitzer in the Emperors Club VIP ring — a club that charges up to $5,500 an hour for its whores. The extent of his involvement, at this point, remains unclear. What politicians do in their private lives doesn’t concern me — and shouldn’t concern you – but this behavior is problematic, particularly in a presidential election year, because the right-wing spin doctors are standing by with their appeals of moral majority and family ‘values.’ Thankfully, Spitzer  isn’t running a presidential campaign but incidents like these only fuel the fire of the right.

Would you be surprised if someone told you the founder of the Weather Channel, a seasoned meteorologist himself, disparaged the evidence of global warming? Well, you should be. Weather Channel founder, John Coleman, has made a second career of criticizing the green movement over recent years but crossed the line this week when – speaking at the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change in New York – he suggested suing Al Gore over the work he’s done to bring the issue to the limelight. The Nobel Peace prize recipient, former vice president and winner of the 2000 U.S. presidency, has devoted his life to a cause that may affect all of mankind, and now a vocal minority of right-wingers hope to bring him down again with egregious accusations that spit in the face of science. It looks like Coleman is a businessman first, ‘scientist’ second. President Bush used to echo the same sentiments, accepting political rhetoric over scientific evidence. It should come as no surprise that both he and Coleman hail from the state no one is supposed to ‘mess’ with. On an issue that not only impacts human life, but the planet we exist on, let’s not fall into the trap of listening to another uninformed Texan.

What used to be a Saturday Night Live airtime formula of 60 minutes for advertisements, 20 minutes for painfully awkward Amy Poehler skits and 10 minutes for everybody else has shifted slightly over recent weeks. Since reemerging from the writers’ strike, SNL has devoted many of its minutes to igniting the Hillary Clinton campaign. Two weeks ago, Tina Fey returned to Weekend Update to lead a diatribe on Clinton critics. Last Saturday, viewers saw the ‘real’ Hillary – if there is such a thing – earn plenty of face time, while Fred Armisen unfairly portrayed a slow-witted, naive Obama. SNL has done little to mask its political agenda, as of late. Ironically, when Hillary was on top of the polls last fall, she snubbed SNL’s invite to host the fading show. Now that momentum is lost, she is bringing her desperate pitch of ‘change’ to late night television, while the show kowtows to her fizzling campaign. But there’s good news for Obama supporters: SNL stopped churning the laughs years ago.