Cubgate

[Vernam]

In a new column comparing Watergate to current political and journalistic struggles (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/opinion/10rich.html?hp), Frank Rich of the NY Times indirectly supports Sox fans' media conspiracy theories. He's commenting on the jailing of NYT reporter Judith Miller for her refusal to divulge the identity of an anonymous source. In contrast, Time magazine caved in to the same prosecutor's demands on one of their reporters, named Matt Cooper. In the following excerpt, subsitute "Tribune" for "Entertainment Weekly," "Tribune Company" for "Time Warner," and "Cubs" for "shlocky Warner Brothers movie." :wink:

At Time, Norman Pearlstine - a member of the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists, no less - described his decision to turn over Matt Cooper's files to the feds as his own, made on the merits and without consulting any higher-ups at Time Warner. That's no doubt the truth, but a corporate mentality needn't be imposed by direct fiat; it's a virus that metastasizes in the bureaucratic bloodstream. I doubt anyone at Time Warner ever orders an editor to promote a schlocky Warner Brothers movie either. (Entertainment Weekly did two covers in one month on "The Matrix Reloaded.")

Time Warner seems to have far too much money on the table in Washington to exercise absolute editorial freedom when covering the government; at this moment it's awaiting an F.C.C. review of its joint acquisition (with Comcast) of the bankrupt cable company Adelphia. "Is this a journalistic company or an entertainment company?" (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/01/politics/01comply.html) David Halberstam asked after the Pearlstine decision. We have the answer now.

I guess Sox fans aren't necessarily a bunch of paranoid wack jobs after all, unless NY Times columnists meet the description, too. "A corporate mentality needn't be imposed by direct fiat; it's a virus that metastasizes in the bureaucratic bloodstream." And that's how you get Trib headlines that, day after day, try to erode the popularity of a superior team that competes directly with an inferior product fielded by the newspaper's parent company. "Is this a journalistic company or an entertainment company?" The latter, quite obviously.

VC

[tebman]

Nice catch, Vernam. This is the point I've been making when I've posted in the George Knue vs. WSI threads the last couple of weeks. George Knue and his various editorial bosses and the gaggle of writers aren't given specific instructions by the corporate office, and the corporate office does not act as a super-editor of the paper, but all of them know who signs their checks and that the source of the company's wealth is the teamwork of its divisions.

The Tribune Company has too much money on the table, to paraphrase the NYT article, to not be aware of the effects of bad vibes for the Cubs. In the end they are in the advertising business, not the news business.

[Vernam]

Ha! Thanks, Tebman, for sparing me the ignomy of starting a thread with zero replies. :wink:

I did enjoy that thread with George Knue, who deserves some credit, I suppose, for challenging our beliefs. The bias is so obvious, but the Trib apologists act like we're loonies for pointing out the evil Empire has no clothes. :smile: The denials, in fact, bug me more than the actual bias, which is to be expected. The more they insist we're imagining things, the more we need to point out the discrepancies in coverage. While laughing all the way to the World Series, hopefully!

VC

[tebman]

Ha! Thanks, Tebman, for sparing me the ignomy of starting a thread with zero replies. :wink:

I did enjoy that thread with George Knue, who deserves some credit, I suppose, for challenging our beliefs. The bias is so obvious, but the Trib apologists act like we're loonies for pointing out the evil Empire has no clothes. :smile: The denials, in fact, bug me more than the actual bias, which is to be expected. The more they insist we're imagining things, the more we need to point out the discrepancies in coverage. While laughing all the way to the World Series, hopefully!

VC
Happy to oblige, VC! :cool:

In one of George Knue's posts, he acknowledged that there was the appearance of a conflict of interest with the Cubs since the paper and the team are owned by the same company. But that's as far as he would go. He adamantly maintains that the Trib's coverage of the Cubs is completely unaffected by their business relationship. I don't doubt that the good intentions are there, but they can't have it both ways.

George was keen to point out the motives of the Trib's competitors in making the Trib look bad. He suggested that the Sun-Times, the Southtown, and other news sources have conflicts of interest because of their distaste for the Tribune. No doubt they do. Then how can it be argued that the Tribune has none at all, even though the overall health of its parent company depends on the health and symbiosis of its divisions, which includes the Cubs?

Yeah, as Sox fans we're cranky and feel like the unwanted stepkids. But one doesn't get that way without some provocation or reason to believe that one is unwanted. When the biggest media company in the midwest owns the competing team that is used as a marketing tool to suggest what kind of people fit a demographic or buy certain products, the reaction from the "other" group should be predictable.

[Hangar18]

That is a nice catch Vernam .......... Now wheres George Knue and the rest
of the LAZY chicago media, so they can see this. :angry:

[Vernam]

That is a nice catch Vernam .......... Now wheres George Knue and the rest of the LAZY chicago media, so they can see this. :angry:
The good news is, under the current Administration, reporters are getting thrown in jail. Mariotti's at the top of my wish list -- I'd love to see him doing the perp walk. :D:

VC

[maurice]

George was keen to point out the motives of the Trib's competitors in making the Trib look bad. He suggested that the Sun-Times, the Southtown, and other news sources have conflicts of interest because of their distaste for the Tribune. No doubt they do. Then how can it be argued that the Tribune has none at all, even though the overall health of its parent company depends on the health and symbiosis of its divisions, which includes the Cubs?

An excellent point. George contends that everybody else is motivated by anti-Trib bias, but the Trib is obviously impartial.
:?:

The good news is, under the current Administration, reporters are getting thrown in jail.

This may qualify as roadhouse material. The Administration is not throwing the reporters in jail. In fact, it appears that the reporters are going to jail to protect a top member of the Administration.