Print Journalism

A Salute To The Two Best Newspapers In America: The New York Times And Washington Post, And Also Recognition Of The Los Angeles Times, CNN, And MSNBC For Their Work Exposing Donald Trump

Ronald Leave a comment

Yesterday, the Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism and other areas were awarded, and again, the top two newspapers in America won ever more such awards.

The New York Times, beginning publication in 1851, has now won 125 Pulitzer Prizes, including three yesterday. It is the paper of record, the most important research sources for scholars in all fields, and has survived vicious attacks by critics through 167 years of publication.

The Washington Post, beginning publication in 1877, has become competitive in the past half century with the New York Times, and has won a total of 47 Pulitzer Prizes, including two yesterday. One must not forget how the Washington Post exposed the Watergate Scandal under Richard Nixon. They have now existed for 141 years of publication.

The Los Angeles Times, beginning publication in 1881, while not winning any Pulitzer Prizes yesterday, has won a total of 44 Pulitzer prizes in their history, and have been in existence for 137 years.

These three top print newspapers have borne the brunt of Donald Trump criticism, as they bore the brunt of attacks by Richard Nixon.

They have stood strong and proved the rightfulness of their coverage of domestic and foreign news coverage.

Thank goodness for their steadfastness, as they have insured the survival of a free press and democratic values, even in the face of strong and dangerous trends in government, that would wish to stifle their voices.

At the same time, we must also salute electronic media, including CNN (founded in 1980) and MSNBC (founded in 1996), for defying the lies and deceit of Donald Trump and his criminal gang, as they also play a major role in perpetuation of our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

One can be assured that they will long outlive the tyranny of Donald Trump, and will bring him to justice through their commitment to the truth!

40th Anniversary Of “All The President’s Men” Film: A Great Moment Of Investigative Journalism!

Ronald Leave a comment

If it was not for Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, and the investigative journalism of the Washington Post four decades ago, we would never have learned about the illegalities of the Richard Nixon Presidency.

It was their courage and willingness to go where leads took them that held Richard Nixon and his administration accountable for the scandals that besmirched the Presidency, not just Watergate but many others.

The film, starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, came out forty years ago this week, and can be considered one of the very best political films ever produced.

Sadly, journalism has declined dramatically, and too much of it now is entertainment or sensationalism oriented, and this has caused the American people to lose confidence in the reliability and accuracy of journalists.

And newspapers and magazines in print have rapidly disappeared, a tragic turn in journalism, as online has become dominant!

News Media And American Political Parties And Presidential Candidates: Meant To Put Candidates’ “Feet To The Fire!”

Ronald 27 Comments

The job of the news media–radio, television and cable, print, internet—is to expose the hypocrisy and shortcomings of our political parties and leaders, and particularly their Presidential candidates!

It is NOT the job of news media and journalism to “cozy up” to any public figure, but rather to hold their “feet to the fire!”

Only in a dictatorship are news media the lackeys of the government and its leaders!

So if a politician at any level or a Presidential candidate cannot handle being exposed and shown for what he or she really is, tough on them, and if unable to handle it, then the answer is to withdraw from competition to be our leaders.

So there is no sympathy or empathy that should be visited toward Donald Trump, Dr. Benjamin Carson, Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders or any of the multitude of other Presidential candidates.

And anyone who, somehow, believes, that Barack Obama has not faced the same scrutiny is a liar and a propagandist!

So, in summary, if one “cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!”

Death Of A Journalism Giant: Ben Bradlee Of The Washington Post, Who Helped To Expose The Corruption Of Richard Nixon!

Ronald Leave a comment

The Washington Post Editor, Ben Bradlee, who helped to expose the corruption of Richard Nixon in the Watergate Scandal, and also published the Pentagon Papers in 1971, which exposed the truth of our involvement in Vietnam, died yesterday at the age of 93 of natural causes.

Bradlee was one of the greatest newspaper editors of all time, and made the Washington Post a newspaper competitive with the New York Times.

Bradlee was not afraid to challenge official Washington, DC, and was often threatened by Nixon henchmen, but he was persistent in exposing the truth.

Bradlee hired Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who were rookie reporters who did the underground “dirty work” to develop the story behind the Watergate Break In on June 17, 1972, which brought down a Presidency two years later.

Bradlee did so much for investigative journalism, and will always be remembered for his courage, guts, principle, and long range impact on journalism.

Sadly, however, we will, probably never see his kind again, certainly not in the old system of print journalism!

Al Jazeera America A Valuable Addition To Cable News

Ronald 15 Comments

A new cable news channel has been added to the choices offered to Americans: Al Jazeera America, which replaces Current TV, the channel owned by, and then sold by, former Vice President Al Gore.

Some would criticize the idea that a cable news channel is owned by an Arab news source, but the indications are, so far, that the channel is very straight forward in its coverage of the news worldwide, does not distort the news, and has had the good sense to hire former journalists who previously were at CNN, HLN, and other cable news networks.

At a time when print journalism is sadly in decline, having another cable news channel is a good thing, and it informs and educates the American people on issues that might not be covered otherwise, so all the best of luck to Al Jazeera America!

The Rapid Demise Of Print Journalism: Something To Mourn!

Ronald 1 Comment

As one who grew up a great fan of print journalism, what is happening in the present time is a great moment of depression.

US News and World Report and Newsweek as print weekly magazines are gone.

The Boston Globe, bought by the NY Times for $1.1 billion twenty years ago, has now been sold by the Times to John Henry, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, for $70 million, a fire sale at 93 percent discount!

The Washington Post, in the Graham family for generations, has been sold to Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, for $250 million, when it was worth much more than the Boston Globe twenty years ago.

Print Journalism is in rapid decline, and newspapers, as we knew it, will never be the same, and that is a loss for journalism and for the American people.

The New York Times, the Washington Post, and so many other newspapers now can only survive with online commitments, by this author and millions of others.

Print Journalism played such an important role in American history, and its decline is, in many ways, a sign of the cultural decline of America, in an era where there is no cooperation, no crossing the aisle to do what is good for the American people!

Journalism has become an industry without a future, as the commitment to excellence has been replaced by the commitment to profit alone, so entertainment, rather than information, has become the major goal of online and television journalism!

This is all very sad and to be mourned over!

The Death Of Newsweek At Age 80 As A Print Periodical: A Sign Of The Times!

Ronald Leave a comment

The announcement by the publishers of NEWSWEEK Magazine that it would stop print publication and only be available on line in 2013 and after is a sad commentary on the changes in journalism, with the rapid decline of print and the rise of electronic journalism as the answer for the future.

NEWSWEEK dies as a print publication on December 31, 2012, at the age of 80, having started publication in the worst year of the Great Depression, 1933, the first year of the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

It became a major competitor of TIME Magazine and US News and World Report, and now only TIME will survive as a print periodical, with no serious competition in the general news magazine market, on the news stands or by subscription.

Whenever any print journalism source dies, it is a loss to journalism, and sadly will add to the unemployment rolls!

While still on line, the world will never be the same once NEWSWEEK leaves us in print. It contributed a great deal to public discourse about important news events, and stirred intellectual debate. Overall, a very sad development!