The Media and Other Depressing Topics; The Media and Other Depressing Topics
- (Sound cuts in with a rough buzz)
- Vietnam War press coverage
- (Sound improves)
- Neil Sheehan's "Bright Shining Lie"
- Press as responsible for loss of war in Vietnam.
- As such, press coverage of Persian Gulf was extraordinarily sensitive.
- Gulf War as a cakewalk in comparison to Vietnam.
- Saddest event she had covered as a reporter was the opening of the Vietnam War Memorial where veterans threw themselves a parade because no one else had ever thrown one for them.
- Vietnam & the Persian Gulf
- Why did we go to war in the Persian Gulf?
- "Sadaam Hussein really is an evil son of a bitch."
- "Intervening in the Middle East has always been a particularly gluttinous enterprise."
- Hafas al Assad makes Sadaam Hussein look like a nice guy.
- The question "Why?" disappeared once we committed troops.
- Molly ends.
- Questions and Answers Begins
- Book journalism
- Molly mentions her book "Molly Ivins Can't Say That Can She?"
- American journalism is concerningly presented with little historical context.
- New York Times
- Newspapers she considers the best.
- Thoughts on NPR.
- "Young Fogies"
- The Heritage Foundation
- "The larger trends are working against good journalism."
- Read the foreign press.
- Read, read, read.
- "Lies of Our Times" criticizes the New York Times.
- Vanity Fair as THE hot book.
- "The Digest of Digests" "Thumb"
- Gary Hart and Donna Rice scandal.
- Journalism schools focus on arcane bean-counting instead of seeking the truth.
- Getting paid to learn.
- Amnesty International Journalism letter writer.
- Tape ends