WHAT'S (WHO'S) STILL MISSING FROM THIS PICTURE?
BY IMAGINING THE SUDDEN WORDLESS DISAPPEARANCE OF OUR OWN SONS OR DAUGHTERS, WE ALL MUST EMPATHIZE WITH THE LEVY FAMILY'S FEELINGS OF NUMB TERROR. WHAT HELL THAT MUST BE--WITH NO WAY OUT OF THOSE DEPTHS. BUT THERE'S ALSO NO END TO THE B.S. ABOUT THIS MYSTERY, SO LET'S ADD A LITTLE OF OUR OWN:
THE FIRST TRIGGER: THE SIGHT, HOUR AFTER HOUR, OF POLICE CONTINUING TO COMB THE ROCK CREEK WOODS AND OTHERS IN D.C. WHY? CHANDRA'S WEB VISIT RECORDS.
BUT, ASSUMING PRE-MEDITATED FOUL PLAY RATHER THAN A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH A KILLER, IF YOU'VE BEEN TO AREAS THAT SURROUND D.C. ESPECIALLY TO THE SOUTHEAST, YOU KNOW THAT OUTSIDE THE LIMITS OF D.C. ITSELF THERE ARE MANY MANY PLACES OUTSIDE OF BUT WITHIN A SHORT DRIVE OF THE DISTRICT TO GET RID OF A BODY AND HAVE IT NOT BE FOUND IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DO THAT. BUT THAT'S OUT OF D.C. POLICE JURISDICTION.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE OLD JOKE ABOUT THE GUY UNDER THE STREET LIGHT LOOKING FOR HIS KEYS. WHEN ASKED ABOUT IT, HE SAYS THAT HE LOST THEM WAY OVER THERE BUT THE LIGHT'S BETTER OVER HERE, SO THAT'S WHERE HE'S LOOKING. THE D.C. POLICE LOOK IN D.C. BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE. IF THERE IS A BODY, IT'S LIKELY NOT TO BE WHERE THE POLICE ARE, BUT FURTHER AWAY. UNLESS THE POLICE SUSPECT SOMETHING WE DON'T, LIKE SOMEONE OTHER THAN CONDIT DID IT, IF IT WAS DONE AT ALL. LOTS OF IFS. AND A FEW BUTS. AS FOLLOWS.
ARE OTHER POLICE JURISDICTIONS WITHIN (LET'S SAY) A HALF-HOUR'S DRIVE INTO VIRGINIA OR MARYLAND SEARCHING THEIR OWN WOODED, MARSHY DESERTED AREAS? OR IS THIS --WITH NO DIRECT EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY--REALLY JUST A TYPICAL MISSING PERSONS CASE AFTER ALL. OR PERHAPS A CASE OF A WOMAN'S RANDOM, DISASTEROUS ENCOUNTER WITH A STRANGER.
THE SECOND TRIGGER: SEEING ENDLESS REPETITIONS TODAY OF A FOX CABLE NEWS EMPLOYEE DOING A PARODY OF A REPORTER IN ACTION AS HE WALKED ALONGSIDE REPRESENTATIVE GARY CONDIT ON THE STREET WHILE SHOUTING OUT A STRING OF QUESTIONS, BEGINNING AND ENDING WITH 'what are you afraid of?' I KNOW IT HAD TO BE A PARODY, NOT A REAL FOX REPORTER, FOR SEVERAL REASONS. FIRST, THIS GUY WASN"T BEING FAIR AND BALANCED--UNLESS ACCUSING SOMEONE OF BEING AFRAID IS GOOD REPORTING?
SELF-PROMOTION? IT WAS A CHARADE OF A REPORTER IN ACTION THAT CLEARLY PARODIED THE WORST OF ABC's SAM DONALSON IN HIS HEYDAY. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BEING A GOOD REPORTER IS NOT ABOUT HAVING YOURSELF VIDEOTAPED ASKING QUESTIONS. IT'S ABOUT BEING ABLE TO GET ANSWERS.
ADDING INSULT TO INJURY WAS COMMENTS FROM TWO FOX ANCHOR-PEOPLE, CONGRATULATING HIM AND THEMSELVES, SAYING THAT THE MAN YELLING THE QUESTIONS HAD "held Condit's feet to the fire" THEY COMPARED THAT PARODY TO WHAT MIKE WALLACE DOES AND CONGRATULATE THEMSELVES FOR SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER.
AGAIN, IT'S NOT THE QUESTIONS ASKED BUT THE ANSWERS GOTTEN THAT NORMALLY PAY THE BILLS FOR JOURNALISTS. EXCEPT WHEN THE ASKING IS ONLY ABOUT SELF-PROMOTION AND RATINGS. THE RE-CYCLING ALL DAY OF THAT SO-CALLED QUESTIONING OF CONDIT WAS TOO MUCH. IRONICALLY, IT EMPHASIZED THE LACK OF REAL JOURNALISM AT FOX. I WOULD ASK, WHAT (OR WHO) IS THAT GUY PLAYING THE REPORTER AFRAID OF?
YET ANOTHER (ANOTHER) WOMAN COMES FORWARD
AND SO? ANOTHER WOMAN CLAIMS SHARING AN ADULTEROUS RELATIONSHIP WITH REP. CONDIT. WHAT GENERALIZATION IS THIS NEW ARRIVAL SUPPORTING? MORE ADULTERY. WHY SHOULD WE CARE. SURELY THE APPEARANCE OF YET ONE MORE LIVE AFFAIR-SHARING WOMAN DOES HELP TO PROVE THAT CONDIT IS GUILTY OF MAKING CHANDRA DISAPPEAR, LET ALONE GUILTY OF TAKING HER LIFE.
IF ANYTHING EACH NEW WOMAN HELPS SUPPORT THE OPPOSING GENERALIZATION--THAT OF "LOVE THEM AND LEAVE THEM," ALIVE AND ABLE TO KISS AND TELL, ABLE TO SIGN A BOOK DEAL, MAYBE EVEN A NETWORK MINI-MOVIE. DO ANY MEN (OTHER THAN GERALDO) KISS AND TELL LIKE THIS? IS THIS WHAT "HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED" MEANS?
WHY ALL THIS ATTENTION TO ONE MORE MISSING PERSON"S CASE OUT OF HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS ???
THE LEVY PARENTS (AND PUBLIC RELATIONS ADVISOR) DID A GREAT JOB OF GETTING ACTION FROM THE CABLE NEWS MEDIA AND THEREFORE THE D.C. POLICE. HOW? BY MAKING SURE EVERYONE FOUND OUT THAT CHANDRA WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH A SOMEBODY( THANK GOD)--A MEMBER OF THE U.S. CONGRESS. NOT JUST SOME NOBODY THAT NOBODY WOULD HAVE PAID 24/7 ATTENTION TO, LET ALONE BE TITILLATED BY.
BEFORE FACTS COME THE FANTASIES-- ANOTHER KIND OF NEWS YOU CAN USE
GUARANTEED SCANDAL THEREFORE GUARANTEED ENDLESS MEDIA COVERAGE. GUARANTEED POLICE INVOLVEMENT. AS HORRIBLE AS IT IS TO SAY IT, REPRESENTATIVE GARY CONDIT--GUILTY OR INNOCENT--WOULD HAVE TO BECOME FRONT AND CENTER IN THIS STORY BECAUSE WITHOUT HIM THERE IS NO STORY. HE WILL STAY THE CENTER OF ATTENTION, APPARENTLY TO FOX CABLE NEWS, AT LEAST, FOR THE SAME REASON.
THE UNKINDEST CUTS OF ALL: THE NEW(S) MEDIA ----------THEIR SWORDS CUT TWO WAYS, AND MORE
THE LEADING EDGE OF TECHNOLOGY IS ALSO ITS BLEEDING EDGE. AS EVERY CELEBRITY KNOWS, THE BARGAIN WHEN USING MEDIA FOR YOUR OWN PURPOSES IS THAT MEDIA WILL USE YOU FOR ITS OWN PURPOSES IN RETURN, FEEDING ON YOU AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, WITH FEW IF ANY SELF-IMPOSED CONSTRAINTS.
AS EVERY CELEBIRITY KNOWS, STORIES (IF NOT PEOPLE) DIE WHEN MEDIA IGNORE THEM AND LIVE AS LONG AS MEDIA RESURRECT AND RE-CYCLE THEM. IT'S CHEAP AND ITS INEXPENSIVE. COSTS MUCH LESS THAN PROVIDING WIDER NEWS COVERAGE OF A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS.
JUST LOOK AT THE MEANINGLESS BUT ENDLESS COVERAGE OF John F. Kennedy Jr AND Princess Di BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THEIR DEATHS. THE COVERAGE (OR UNCOVERAGE) WILL CONTINUE AS LONG AS MEDIA CAN FEED OFF OF THEM, AT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE COSTS MATCHED TO THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE RATINGS AND AD DOLLARS. AND NOT ONE MINUTE LONGER.
LAWYERS, TO GET THE HEART OF THINGS, ALWAYS ASK "WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS?"
SAD BUT TRUE, ITS FOX NEWS ON CABLE. THEY'VE BEEN SAVED FROM THE LOSS OF 'ALL MONICA ALL THE TIME.' NOW THERE'S ALL CHANDRA ALL THE TIME --BLURRED WITH-- ALL CONDIT ALL THE TIME . SOME HARD-CORE CYNICS HAVE SUGGESTED THAT MAYBE FOX NEWS CHANNEL IS KEEPING CHANDRA UNDER WRAPS UNTIL THE RIGHT MOMENT BECAUSE SHE WAS, AFTER ALL, A JOURNALISM MAJOR IN COLLEGE.
OF COURSE, KNOCKING CONDIT OUT AND REPLACING HIM WITH A REPUBLICAN MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THAT DISTRICT ISN'T A BAD ITEM TO HAVE ON YOUR 'FAIR AND BALANCED' CONSERVATIVE NEWS AGENDA EITHER.
WHAT ABOUT THE LACK OF COVERAGE BY THE BIG NETWORKS AND MAINSTREAM PRESS?
SOMETIMES NO NEWS REALLY IS GOOD NEWS
THE RIGHT-WING MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER TELLS US THAT ABC-EVENING NEWS and NBC-NEWS HAVE DEVOTED LESS THAN TWO DOZEN MINUTES IN A WEEK--WITH CBS-NEWS GIVING NOT ONE MINUTE TO HELPING FIND CHANDRA, AS IF THAT'S WHAT THIS IS REALLY ABOUT.
BIG MAINSTREAM (SORRY, LEFT-WING) MEDIA SIMPLY AREN"T DOING THEIR JOB OF CONFIRMING THE REPUBLICAN AGENDA BY JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON. HOW? BY BROADCASTING AN ATTACK OF PREMATURE ADJUDICATION, OR AT LEAST BY HARASSING CONDIT ON THE STREET-- OR AT LEAST CONTRIBUTING TO THE 'CONDIT WATCH' BUT TRAINING A CAMERA ON HIM AND HIM ALONE DURING CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE HEARINGS.
DID YOU EVER WONDER WHICH POLITICIAN GAVE PERMISSION TO AIM FOX'S CAMERA ONLY AT CONDIT WHILE THE COMMITTEE IS IN SESSION? WHAT'S THE MOTIVE THERE? WHO BENEFITS?
WHY ATTACK DAN RATHER FOR NOT COVERING CHANDRA/CONDIT? IS HE AVOIDING HIS RESPONSIBILITY AS A SCANDAL-MONGERING TABLOID JOURNALIST? HAVE YOU WATCHED CBS EVENING NEWS. LOOK AT THE ADS. ADS ALWAYS TELL YOU WHO THE SHOW IS AIMED AT. MAYBE IT'S JUST THAT CBS's OVER-50 CROWD JUST HAVEN'T BEEN FOUND TO CARE ABOUT CHANDRA/CONDIT SO MUCH THAT THEY NEED ONE MORE NETWORK TO GIVE UP TIME COVERING OTHER THINGS THAT ARE CLEARLY OF GREATER LONG-TERM SIGNIFICANCE.
THE ENDLESS REPETITION OF THE SAME FEW IMAGES IN DIFFERENT ORDER--WITH THE INTENTION OF BEING ENDLESSLY STIMULATING, WITH LITTLE REAL CONCERN FOR THE PEOPLE INVOLVED, IS 'JOURNA-PORN'
YES I SAID JOURNA-PORN. PORN JOURNALISM IS LOW-BUDGET SIMULATION AND STIMULATION. IT'S MOSTLY FANTASY PARADING AS REALITY. PEOPLE ARE BROUGHT IN TO FILL CLICHED, PRE-DETERMINED PARTS (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) , MOSTLY IGNORED AS REAL, COMPLEX HUMAN BEINGS. WHO BENEFITS ?
EXCEPT WHEN FOX SPENDS AN HOUR ON AN EXPOSE (OR WAS IT REALLY A SERIES OF ADS FOR THE FLESH-MERCHANTS) CALLED "FLESH, INC." FOX NEWS CHANNEL HAS BEEN DEVOTING ROUGHLY 20 MINUTES OUT OF EVERY 30 MINUTES (NOT COUNTING ADS) , 24/7, TO CHANDRA/CONDIT, ENDLESSLY RE-CYCLING THE SAME PICTURES BOLSTERED BY FEW NEW FACTS. IF THIS IS NOT SENSATIONALIZING, WHAT IS?
"CONGRESSMAN TRACKED, TRIED AND CONVICTED BY CABLE NEWS CHANNEL. EXECUTION TO FOLLOW"
THIS IS ACTED OUT MOSTLY THROUGH THE MOUTHS OF DOZENS OF PEOPLE PLAYING THE ROLES OF "REPORTERS" AND "SOURCES." BUT THEY ARE MORE ACCURATELY DESCRIBED AS ADVOCATES FOR THE SAME FEW POSITIONS--MOST OF WHOM RIGHT NOW ARE SAYING "WHERE IS CHANDRA?" BUT THAT TRANSLATES AS "GET CONDIT OUT NOW." WHICH TRANSLATES AS "THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADD ANOTHER REPUBLICAN TO THE HOUSE."
MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER STUDIES GIVE US NO STATISTICS TO DOCUMENT FOX'S EXTREME 24/7 LOW COST, HIGH SPECULATION "NO-NEWS-BUT-CHANDRA-CONDIT-NEWS" STRATEGY. WHO BENEFITS FROM THAT?
FOX: "SOME ARE CRITICIZING THE MEDIA FOR GOING OVERBOARD"
FOX, WAKE UP. YOU'RE THE MEDIA THEY"RE TALKING ABOUT. NOT 'THE MEDIA' IN GENERAL BECAUSE THE MEDIA IN GENERAL AREN'T "GOING OVERBOARD" HOW DO WE KNOW THAT'S TRUE? GO BACK TO THE CRITICISM OF MAINSTREAM MEDIA BY THE CONSERVATIVE MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER.
WE HAVE TO ADMIT IT IS FUN TO WATCH THE FOX NEWS ANCHORS GET DEFENSIVE AND EVEN IRATE WHEN THEY ACCIDENTALLY GET A LIVE INTERVIEW WITH SOMEONE WHO CRITICIZES FOX COVERAGE. THEY IMMEDIATELY PULL RANK AND EITHER CUT THEM OFF OR TALK OVER THEM. I GUESS THEY CAN GIVE IT BUT CAN"T TAKE IT. SO, ALWAYS FAIR AND BALANCED?
FOX CABLE NEWS GETS ITSELF PSYCHED UP
JUST HOURS AFTER BEING CRITICIZED FOR INTERVIEWING A STRING OF PSYCHICS ABOUT WHETHER CHANDRA IS DEAD OR ALIVE, MURDERED OR WHATEVER, FOX REFERS TO A" RECENT STUDY SAYS THAT 35 PERCENT OF URBAN POLICE BUREAUS" TURN TO PSYCHICS. WHOSE STUDY, THEREFORE HOW RELIABLE? WE AREN'T TOLD. WHY WOULD POLICE "CONSULT" WITH PSYCHICS ANYWAY? BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN PSYCHIC POWERS? THE ANSWER IS NOT COMPLICATED.
NORMALLY POLICE DON"T APPROACH PSYCHICS. ALLEGED "PSYCHICS" APPROACH THEM. POLICE MUST ACCEPT ANY LEADS THEY GET AND CHECK THEM OUT. THE DANGER OF HAVING TO DO THAT IS THAT TOO MANY COOKS WILL SPOILTHE BROTH. TOO MANY LEADS CAN BE WORSE THAN TOO FEW. IT COSTS MONEY TO FOLLOW UP LEADS. COPS AREN"T IN A POSITION (LEGALLY) TO REJECT ANYTHING.
IT'S ALWAYS POSSIBLE THAT THE SELF-DESCRIBED 'PSYCHIC' MIGHT BE INVOLVED IN THE CRIME, USING THIS AS A WAY TO CONFESS. OR TO PROVE TO THEMSELVES SUPERIOR TO COPS. POLICE ALWAYS STAKE OUT MURDER VICTIM FUNERALS BECAUSE SO OFTEN THE KILLER TURNS UP THERE, OR LATER AT THE GRAVE-SIDE. POLICE INVESTIGATORS RECOGNIZE THE POWER OF SUCH SILENT CONFESSIONS.
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE SOMEWHERE IN THE NEWS (WE ASSUME)
THE MULDER SENSIBILITY VERSUS THE SCULLY SENSIBILITY
THAT OTHER POPULAR FOX SHOW ,THE X-FILES , WORKS ONLY BECAUSE OF DELICATE BALANCE BETWEEN TWO OPPOSING SENSIBILITIES. ONE SENSIBILITY, MULDER'S, IS CHARACTERIZED BY INTENSE BELIEVING BASED ON MINIMAL EVIDENCE. THE OTHER SENSIBILITY, SCULLY'S, IS CHARACTERIZED BY MINIMAL BELIEVING, UNLESS BASED ON SOLID EVIDENCE.
OF COURSE X-FILES MUST SLANT WHAT THE AUDIENCE SEES/KNOWS (AND WHAT IT DOESN'T) TO GUARANTEE THAT THE AUDIENCE ALWAYS THINKS IT KNOWS FOR SURE THAT WHAT MULDER BELIEVES TO BE TRUE REALLY IS THE TRUTH--LEAVING SCULLY LOOKING WILLFULLY OBTUSE. SCULLY BELIEVES IN MULDER, BUT NOT NECESSARILY WHAT MULDER BELIEVE IN.
THE FOX NEWS AUDIENCE (AND APPARENTLY MANY ON-AIR FOX NEWS EMPLOYEES) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BELIEVE THEY ACT AND THINK LIKE A SCULLY WHEN THEY REALLY ACT AND THINK LIKE A MULDER. IT SEEMS THAT MULDER IS THE PATRON SAINT IN A PROFESSION WHERE MORE SCULLY'S ARE REQUIRED
THEY SAY NEW TECHNOLOGY HAS SHRUNKEN THE WORLD INTO A GLOBAL VILLAGE BUT IT SEEM THAT ALL ANYONE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS STILL JUST "WHO'S SCREWING WHOM?"