What is your automatic thought when you hear these words strung together?
“Speak truth to power.”
My first one is: “pinhead.” That’s sort of reflexive, however, as most epithets are--similar to a cough. Example: :::cough::: pinhead ::::cough:::
My second one is: “how unoriginal.” The speaker could at least come up with a creative turn of phrase, instead of something that hackneyed.
And, from now on, my third thought will forever be: “Dan Rather.”
Addressing the Fordham University School of Law in Manhattan, occasionally forcing back tears, he said that in the intervening years, politicians "of every persuasion" had gotten better at applying pressure on the conglomerates that own the broadcast networks. He called it a "new journalism order."You remember Dan, don’t you?
He said this pressure -- along with the "dumbed-down, tarted-up" coverage, the advent of 24-hour cable competition and the chase for ratings and demographics -- has taken its toll on the news business. "All of this creates a bigger atmosphere of fear in newsrooms," Rather said. [SNIP][HBO Documentary and Family president Sheila] Nevins took up the cause for Rather, who was emotional several times during the event.
"When a man is close to tears discussing his work and his lip quivers, he deserves bosses who punch back. I feel I would punch back for Dan," Nevins said.
Rather praised the coverage of Hurricane Katrina by the new generation of TV journalists and acknowledged that he would have liked to have reported from the Gulf Coast. "Covering hurricanes is something I know something about," he said.
"It's been one of television news' finest moments," Rather said of the Katrina coverage. He likened it to the coverage of President Kennedy's assassination in 1963.
"They were willing to speak truth to power," Rather said of the coverage.
In order to “speak truth” to anyone, don’t the words written/spoken have to actually be the truth?
(Thanks to LGF)
