Journalism in the 21st Century
When anything but perfection is "not good enough", and when war is always "worse than we imagined", progress is always outweighed by disproportionate qualifiers. If a journalist wants to report the negative, fine, but when he uses it to change the complexion of an otherwise positive development he is doing a disservice to his audience.
"But" Journalism is the art of turning victory into defeat, and it is a symptom of a larger problem: the naive disbelief in opportunity cost and the childish faith that anything can be certain. 8.5 million Iraqis participate in the first free and fair elections the region has ever seen, but (fill in the blank). If we think it might fail, it has failed already. If we must pay for it, it already costs too much.
The difference between the wise and the educated has become vast. The wise know that everything may not be okay. Our elite hear this, and feel betrayed.
"But" Journalism is the art of turning victory into defeat, and it is a symptom of a larger problem: the naive disbelief in opportunity cost and the childish faith that anything can be certain. 8.5 million Iraqis participate in the first free and fair elections the region has ever seen, but (fill in the blank). If we think it might fail, it has failed already. If we must pay for it, it already costs too much.
The difference between the wise and the educated has become vast. The wise know that everything may not be okay. Our elite hear this, and feel betrayed.
posted by John Aristides at 9:58 AM
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