My Nine Media Heroes (Who Are Yours?)
It’s very easy to dismiss today’s journalists as high maintenance and pampered celebrity pundits, unworthy descendants of their beloved and revered Walter Cronkite. And you’d be right in most enough cases. You can blame it on their network bosses and corporate owners, who have reduced much of the “news” to easily digestible distraction nuggets for a woefully uninformed public.
But as much energy as I spend turning off my TV in disgust these days, I’m equally in awe of those who use the airwaves for good, building our understanding of a topic and sometimes even, sorry, advocacy. Good TV, as rare and oxymoronic as that may sound, can produce some of the best narrative to our world. And no matter how much more I consume online, in magazines or books, I’m still a boob tube kid.
So with the holiday festivities bringing us all around TV sets (sorry, Hulu and video streaming) in the coming weeks, this is a good time to celebrate some of the best and brightest we have at camera one. In no particular order, my 2009 media heroes:
RACHEL MADDOW — Maddow is not a new face to diehard MSNBC viewers, having been a frequent guest before she got her own high profile show. Not allowing a poorly researched or factually porous statement—by the Right or Left—to waft by without getting swatted down, Maddow was a formidable pundit but an unlikely nightly host. But that was then, and with her popularity, original wit and anti-TV persona, she’s making it easy to tune out Olbermann’s sorely repetitive Bush Fox News bashing. A tough lesbian liberal thoughtfully dismantling conservative hypocrisy and dogma during prime time? For the Right, that’s got to sting a bit. (@Maddow)
BILL MOYERS — To me, Moyers epitomizes the journalistic hero who takes his powerful role of informing the public to heart. His gray hair and kindly southern demeanor is comforting and his storyteller style is perfect for his hour-long PBS format of Bill Moyers Journal. I can’t imagine who’d replace him if he decided to retire one day (he’s 75). For a dose of what you get with Moyers, just watch his recent report on the LBJ tapes and escalation of the Vietnam War (hint: here we go again). Clearly with a progressive mindset, Moyers is not shy about where he wants you to end up after he’s finished laying out his impassioned case. But you never get the idea that you’ve been convinced–simply informed and illuminated. (Moyers: To Twitter or not to Twitter)
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON — She’s not technically my boss since she doesn’t pay me, nor does she care if I show up for work each day. But I have been a blogger on the HuffPo since early 2008. If you don’t mind sifting through a ton of daily content, there is no deeper archive of current event news, opinion, aggregated content and citizen journalism around. Decry the titillating nipple slip shots and political star fucking if you want, but AH represents, in many ways, the future of journalism. (@HuffingtonPost)
>>>NEXT: Gwen Ifill, Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert
15 comments
sarahspy says: Rachel Sklar, for today’s Observer rebuttal!!
the visionary says: rachel sklar cause she’s hot
Pat Doherty says: My hero is also Bill Moyers, for his work in eagerly investigating the sex lives of both Johnson and Goldwater political aides, active collusion with J. Edgar Hoover in the illegal wiretapping of Martin Luther King Jr., and his role as willing spokesman for the Vietnam tragedy at its most operationally dysfunctional. Oh wait, that’s why I despise Bill Moyers and consider him a hypocritical moral dwarf cum partisan hatchetman.
ImNotBlue says: Where does Mediaite find these guys? Do they just give away “columnist” positions to any Liberal who signs up? I think one (maybe two) of the list her could be describe as something other than, “strongly liberally biased,” or “advocate for left-wing opinion.”
Ah well… at least this is APPROPRIATELY in the “Columnists” section, so it’s stated that this is Mr. Roker’s opinion.
As for my “media heroes.” None. They all have their flaws and faults… and the moment we get into hero worship, is the moment we lose our common sense and ability to criticize. There are a lot of folks I like to watch, and who’s opinions in find interesting or helpful… but “hero,” certainly not.
@ Pat Doherty — Not to excuse anything Moyers *may* have done (would love some clips here). But if I were to hold every living (white) person accountable for their acts, thoughts, passive or active behaviors, and (mis)deeds in the 1960s, I’d be left with an incredibly thin list of citizens over 50 that I could even remotely respect.
That said, I’ll do a little more research on Moyers before I cross him off my list. You’re more than welcome to post any balanced reporting on this. I give people the benefit of the doubt, especially when current deeds rise far above their past. Selfish, I know, but I’m much more interested in what Moyers has been doing in *my* lifetime.
@ImNotBlue — I’d love to see your list. I’m actually a very open-minded “columnist.”
Nachi says: A pretty decent list. Interesting at least. The other “list” here you request would consist of full-time haters. Uneducated. Uninformed. Uncultured. Goose-stepping goons of conformity. A quivering mass of ignoble sadness and blighted phlegm. We have enough of that out there already. They set very low standards for themselves – and then consistently fail to achieve them.
Nachi wrote, apparently without a single twinge of irony:
A pretty decent list. Interesting at least. The other “list” here you request would consist of full-time haters. Uneducated. Uninformed. Uncultured. Goose-stepping goons of conformity. A quivering mass of ignoble sadness and blighted phlegm. We have enough of that out there already. They set very low standards for themselves – and then consistently fail to achieve them.
Yeah, Nachi. Those doggone “full-time haters.” We don’t need any of them around here.
ImNotBlue says: Raymond Leon Roker says:
December 3, 2009 at 11:51 am
Well, as I said before… I don’t really have any media “heroes.” It’s just entertainment… info-tainment at best. And to put “hero” status on these glorified actors is not something I’m prepared to do.
That said, I’ve thought about this all day, and have a short list of my “favorites.”
Bill O’Reilly – I appreciate that he’s fearless and will confront virtually anyone about virtually anything. I don’t always agree with him, and sometimes think he’s more under-informed than he should be (or at least, more argumentative than he should be)… but I appreciate his in-your-face attitude.
Bob Beckle – Bob has a similar quality to O’Reilly in that he’s fearless, and will get in anyone’s face about anything. He argues well, will do a good recitation of left-wing talking points, and is pretty funny at the same time.
Bernie Goldberg – I turn to Bernie for informed media criticism. Sometimes he’s a little harsh or goofy, but overall I find him very enjoyable to watch or read.
Juan Williams & Lanny Davis – They both have taken on the roles of “realistic” Democrats in their commentary. They’re never gushing, and provide well thought highbrow commentary, that doesn’t resort to the “well, everyone else is stupid,” or the “what do you expect, we’re great” lines that so many other pundits fall into.
South Park – Political humor at its most disgusting. I don’t always agree (and their most recent season left a lot to be desired), but their common sense approach to politics is probably closest to my own.
Jake Tapper and Brian Ross – They’re one of the few journalists right now who will go face first into any controversy, not tip his hand one way or another politically, and write about what’s important… not just what’s “convenient.” Very respectable journalists.
Megyn Kelly – Super smart, gorgeous, and personable… a really great television personality. She does straight news with the best of them, and can throw a little opinion around when she needs to. Best of all, she’s got real law experience, and isn’t afraid to back down when talking about it… even when she disagrees with the law, or emotion would suggest a different result, she can ignore that and give the true legal rationale… and that’s important.
Those are the people I most respect, right now… and who I look forward to hearing from. But as I said, if you have too much faith in them, they’ll surely let you down… just like any other television performer.
freetrademan says: Ray – Wasn’t it only a few weeks ago that Rachel Maddow went on TV claiming that Rush Limbaugh had made certain racists statements, which YOU acknowledged were made up? And yet you credit her with “Not allowing a poorly researched or factually porous statement—by the Right or Left—to waft by without getting swatted down”??? Is this selective memory or just blind adoration?
ImNotBlue, I like some of your observations but probably the one about Goldbery resonates with me the most. He worked in the belly of the beast at CBS with that half man-half alien Dan Rather and lived to tell the story. By far he’s the best prepared and most entertaining to listen too. I like Dennis Miller as well. He’s honest to a fault and doesn’t let the fact he’s in Hollyweird to affect his judgment. Like him or not Rush Limbaugh is pure genius in the sense that he created himself and has become uber successful. Another superstar is Matt Drudge. He knows how to get the liberal zombie dander up into a rage filled fest.
Greendale says: Never mind the ideological tilt of these “media heroes.” They’re all so wearily predictable. Now let me get this straight: a columnist for Mediasite, a Web property, picks precisely one “media hero” (Huffington) who has any Web presence whatsoever. Tellingly, Mr. Roker, in praising Huffington, does not refer to anything Huffington has written, only to her Web site. The only other writer in the bunch is Zakaria, and Roker makes no mention of his writing, either. Therefore, I guess the only way to be a “media hero” is to spend your time — as does Huffington — in front of a TV camera.
Bill Moyers? Give me a break. When was the last time Roker, or any one else at Mediasite for that matter, actually sat down and watched one of Moyers’ painfully earnest documentaries. It’s telling that the photo of Moyers is at least 20 years old.
Funny, I thought Mediaste was supposed to offer an insightful look into ALL media, print, broadcast and online. I also thought Mediasite would have top-flight columnists attracting users because of their savvy and compelling opinions. When I read a list of “media heroes” I expect to see some names I’ve never heard before. You guys are the media experts, remember? I don’t expect to read a list culled from the 200 best-known “journalists” in America.
Ah, but here’s the rub. My daddy’s not a TV star. I don’t get columnist slots handed to me because I won the genetic lottery and attend the right cocktail parties with Abrams, Sklar and co. It’s a shame. There are people out there who actually have interesting things to say about the media but are precluded from doing so because they are not properly connected. Oh, well. There are bigger crimes on the planet. Maybe next time Mr. Roker will put a little more thought into his next list of “media heroes.” Peace.
@Greendale — I watch Bill Moyers weekly on PBS. My respect from him is totally current. I picked the vintage photo to show his history. Stewart is a writer (a published author and for his show). Ifill is an author. And so is Huffington, who writes countless Op-Eds and books. Even so, you don’t have to be toiling away at a keyboard to be a hero on my list. I didn’t catch your list of “names I’ve never heard before.” I’d love to get turned onto some.
@freetrademan — I didn’t catch Maddow railing on Limbaugh for being a racist—I may have missed that. I either tune her out when she drifts onto Rush or have little recollection of her giving him much airtime at all. But I’ve heard her on numerous occasions set the record straight over something she got wrong.
And a hero doesn’t ever have to mean blind adoration, btw.
- » Jon Stewart's Epic Parody Of Glenn Beck
- » CNN: Protesters Shout Racial And Gay Slurs At Lewis And Frank (Update)
- » Another CNN Anchor Fails At Celebrity Jeopardy
- » David Shuster On Media Bias, Drudge, Andrew Breitbart, And James O'Keefe
- » FAMU Sex Tape Link - Real Or Hoax?
Job hunting?
Use our proprietary jobs tool to access the largest pool of jobs aggregated from around the country.
Charles Krauthammer On Health Care Bill: ‘It Will Never Be Repealed’
The House of Representatives just passed the health care bill with a vote of 219 to 212. Fox News news analyst Charles Krauthammer set up the moment quite prosaically. "This is a historic moment. This is the moment I think America changes. I don't think it will ever end up being repealed. There's no way it could happen before 2013. I think its unlikely to happen anytime at all. In terms of debt it will be huge..."
MSNBC: Bart Stupak Called ‘Baby Killer’ By GOP Rep On House Floor
According to MSNBC's Luke Russert, pro-life Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), who held out until the last minute for more restrictive language on federal funding for abortion, was called a "baby-killer" as he spoke on the House floor tonight. The video of the report after the jump.
More TV headlines:
»President Obama On Health Care: “This Is What Change Looks Like” »12
»Rahm Emanuel Thinks Washington Is Working Just Fine »1
»Tiger Woods Talks With ESPN: “I Hope They Clap for Birdies, Too” »3
»Rory Kennedy To Produce Rosie O’Donnell’s New Talk Show »1
»This Week: Karl Rove and David Plouffe Spar Over ‘Mission Accomplished’ »5
-
Coming soon...
© 2010 Mediaite, LLC | About Us | Advertise | Newsletter | Privacy | User Agreement | Disclaimer | Power Grid FAQ | Contact | Archives
| Dan Abrams, Founder
| Hosting by Datagram
| 
RSS
