This WSJ op-ed on Geraldo Rivera on Fox hits the heads of many nails.
I watch Fox all the time, like, I guess, the majority of American cable news junkies, and I love it. One of the things I like so much about it is the preposterous lengths they go to to put their "editorial policies" (if that's what you call them) into practice. The process is in plain view: you can spot it a mile away, and it has a definite gormless charm, because of its clumsiness rather than in spite of it. First there's the bonehead slogan, "fair and balanced." (Please note: it's not only fair. It's balanced as well! Yes, say the viewers, that's the show I want to watch- I'm tired of all the unbalanced fairness that plagues the media these days.)
Then there was the "talking heads proudly wearing the American Flag policy," which gradually escalated to sort of contest where the anchors and pundits seemed to be competing for who could display the most ostentatious and ornate cluster of red, white, and blue ribbons on his or her lapel. (Winner: Fred Barnes, who I once saw sporting a Liberace-esque ribbon bouquet that would not have been out of place in the court of the Sun King-- the Fourth Estate: c'est lui!)
As for Geraldo, Fox News management have obviously issued some kind of memo to all of their television personalities that they must talk up how great Geraldo is. They're clearly worried about his questionable journalistic reputation, so the memo (I'm guessing) also directed them specifically to stress what a swell, "well-respected" journalist he is. And they're *all* really going to town on it. Geraldo is standing in front of a tank. Alan Combes (sp?): "wow, Geraldo, I've just got to say, that is some of the best, most spectacular, most legitimate journalism in the form of live video that I have seen in my entire career as a well-respected journalist. But that's no surprise because you're such a well-respected journalist yourself. For so many years, you've been one of the most well-respected journalists around, but now, if possible, you're even *more* well-respected than you were before..."
I just love when real life is so much like the Simpsons.
Posted by Dr. Frank at December 10, 2001 10:55 AM | TrackBack