June 16, 2003
Image is everything…
Janet Kolodzy, a journalism professor at Emerson College in Boston, considers the attitudes of students who enter the profession for the “wrong” reasons. Among them: Seeking fame in a culture that worships image. Kolodzy concludes:
Journalism reflects the values of our culture. Unfortunately, it has been infiltrated by some who prefer hype to honesty. We live in a time when it is better to look good than to be good.
Where do we “see” this in our culture? One answer: TV.
Posted by acline | June 16, 2003 | Posted in: Main |
This is just an observation, but I’m beginning to think your antipathy towards “TV pretenders” is starting to take on the Moby Dick/Capt. Ahab dynamic. Most of the examples Kolodzy used were from print - NYT, TNR, LATimes - as was most of the discussion, but you chose to key in on the very last line in order to zing TV, even though “look good” can be applied to more than just the visual. I don’t mean to be snarky (OK-I do!), but aren’t you violating Pundit Rule #5?
What I’m getting at is this: Our image culture is driven by TV, and that has consequences for print.
Yes, I zing TV a lot. And, yes, it’s an easy target…easier to hit than a white whale but much harder to kill.
As for violating “rule” #5: I do not claim to be above the rules
But, in this case, I’m not sure what facts I’m ignoring.