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Atlantic Unbound | Archive
William Powers ..... Recent articles by William Powers: Crowd ControlEverybody's buzzing about citizen journalism. But the "journalism" could use some editing. Who Are We?The flap over journalists making political donations confirmed the widespread suspicion that media outlets are hiding something. But it doesn't have to be this way. The Daily DoseTwo multipart newspaper series provided intriguing looks at Dick Cheney and Mitt Romney. In Their ElementBill and Hillary Clinton are the media's dream team. They never become old news. Bee AfraidInto the summer news void steps science, with stories of disappearing bees. The Golden GaffeWhy the story of John Edwards's $400 haircuts has taken on a life of its own. The Dead Can DanceJournalists are using the deaths of prominent people to comment on current-day problems. Digging MurdochThe idea that The Wall Street Journal needs Rupert Murdoch is a howler. Dancing HorsesWhat a dancing horse tell us about the way digital technology is changing political news. The Biggest NicheDo we need a 24-hour radio channel devoted to presidential campaign coverage? Trading PlacesNot so long ago, when a journalist interviewed a presidential candidate, the news was about what the politican said. But as the flap over Katic Couric shows, the old rules no longer apply. We're in the MoneyIn their presidential campaign coverage, the media have spoken: Raise gobs of money, or die. Mutual SuspicionNew and old media vet one another's work, helping consumers decide what not to read. Karma ChameleonsLike movies and professional sports, the mega-story is a social glue. But it can also be short-lived. Twinkie TimeThe recent dustup between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama over remarks by David Geffen was a classic specimen of the wispy stuff of modern campaign coverage. Toot, TootAs the Walter Reed story shows, in the solar system of journalism, newspapers are the sun. Brand AidIt took decades for the media to catch on, but now they're branding with a vengeance. Look SharpNewspapers are run by people who care a lot about words and very little about design. What Goes UpBarack Obama has everything going for him except what he really needs right now: a massive media disaster. Mirror, MirrorFor better or worse, the Scooter Libby trial offers a glimpse into Washington as it really is. Over the HedgeThe media are so saturated with coverage of the very wealthy, the story line is losing its novelty. Let's Get SmallSmaller is considered better for most media delivery devices. But for The Wall Street Journal? The Match GamePairing content with medium has become a make-or-break art in today's media world. The Authority QuestionAs the Charles Stimson controversy shows, the media establishment still speaks with authority. Serious PuffThe Web sites of the 2008 presidential hopefuls are a rich vein of information. Let's Talk About UsThe more journalism declines into depression, the more journalists obsess about themselves. Fa La La La La'Tis the season for ringing the holiday bells instead of sounding the death knell for journalism. Viva, Vox PopPolls get all the attention because we are a numbers-obsessed culture. But there's another conduit for America's moods. The Scandal FactoryScandals used to be rare and unpredictable. Today, they're common and routinized. Snow CountryThe largely positive coverage of White House press secretary Tony Snow suggests that the media care more about pure gamesmanship than the principles underlying the game. The Personality TestPersonality will be decisive in determining which kinds of media outlets survive. After the FallIf Republicans lose control of the House or Senate in November, don't be surprised if the media start tearing into the war in Iraq as they have never done before. The pack will smell blood. Driven to DespairBy playing the alarmist, the media reinforce the notion that newspapers have no future. The Star ChamberThe broadsheets' lack of verve for celebrity coverage has been on display in recent days. Put Up Your DukesAmerica needs to have a loud argument about the role of the press in a time of war and terrorism. Invisible GreedThe media are letting the rich off the hook with their coverage of philanthropy. The Bard of the BubbleFor informed real estate coverage, look for David Streitfeld's byline in the Los Angeles Times. Sticking to the PanLeisure coverage may not be weighty stuff, but it could be the golden egg that saves newspapers. Invasion of the NetrootsThe latest fashion accessory on the campaign beat is something called "netroots." The Media RoyalsWatching the media cover its own superstars can induce a kind of cognitive dissonanace. They're EasyMedia outlets could be a lot more discriminating about the attention they lavish on some people. Making WhoopeeWhen it comes to the gathering and selling of news, fun is a deeply serious matter. This Leaky WorldOther countries are struggling with the same questions we're facing about anonymous sources. Gore: The GameDoes Al Gore most resemble Tom Cruise, David Blaine, or Richard Nixon? Sweet HierarchyOnline media could learn something about news hierarchy from their old-media brethren. Everything Old Is NewCutting-edge media outlets could borrow an idea or two about news coverage from the past. Do the Midterm Twist!From a news point of view, midterm elections exist for one reason: to kill the boredom. The Media KvetchContrary to popular belief, we may be witnessing a high-water mark in the media's evolution. The Fedora GapA little Jared Paul Stern color would be nice right now in White House-land. Annual FixationAnniversaries are a media tradition, but are they also becoming a growth industry. Those Busted BlogsBlogs find themselves in the same place as newspapers: not half as popular as they'd like to be. Tippecanoe and Katie, TooIt's time we started choosing network anchors in a truly democratic way, through free and fair elections. The Alpha StoryGiven how grave things still are in Iraq, why is the war not an Alpha Story for the media? Good and GrumpyGrumpy old media guys like Ted Koppel and Dan Rather are ubiquitous these days, but they serve as a useful foil to hip, clever, happening zeitgeist jockeys. 'Toon TerrificThe range and thoughtfulness of opinion in U.S. newspapers about the Muslim cartoon conflagration was an object lesson in what liberal democracy is all about. What Torino TeachesThe media's coverage of the Olympics has itself become a kind of spectator sport, revealing all sorts of lessons about how journalists cover contests, including political ones. Profiles in PlasticWhat's frustrating about much of the coverage of 2008 presidential hopefuls is how unoriginal and old-fashioned it is. More attention needs to be paid to the image-makers at the core of the business of politics, and not just to the candidates. Win, Lose, DrawGovernment and media are always struggling for power. So who's winning now? The Happy DanceTech news these days is a sort of comfort food—happy talk about happy new products. Who Needs Hollywood?Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay are giving Hollywood celebrities a run for their money. Mags AliveThe decline of newspapers makes sense in every way. Are magazines also endangered? Getting BobWhy are some journalists giddily celebrating Bob Woodward's fall from grace? Bye-Bye, BubbleBad news for the media: The real estate bubble is fading away as a story. Breaking Up With GoogleJournalists have been making savage love to Google for several years now. Will it last? Get HappyThere are good reasons to view media scandals as encouraging developments. The First Shall Be LastWhy is the race to be first still such a dominant force in journalism? After all, times have changed. Booming OnIf you can stand the narcissism, it's instructive to watch Baby Boomers grow old through the media. Love Is in the AirBarack Obama is the one Democrat who elicits a McCain-like swoon from media people. Star-CrossedWhen there's a real disaster, celebrity journalists can distract needlessly from an urgent story. Welcome Back, CarterIn the media's telling, the Bush White House is becoming That '70s Show. Six Billion HarrietsThe controversy over her nomination highlights the credentialism debate at issue throughout society, including the news business. Crisis of FaithWhen it comes to scandals, The New York Times and the Catholic Church have a lot in common. Storm SurgeKatrina let news people step into the classic roles journalists have been playing since time began. Paper LossThe Wall Street Journal's new Weekend Edition, which made its debut last Saturday, is like a scary cyborg of The Journal—it has a convincing, lifelike resemblance, but no heart or soul inside. Hello, GoodbyeMega-stories have their own life cycles. And they often disappear before we should be done with them. Look Back in WonderDavid Shaw of the Los Angeles Times helped change the way the media covers the abortion debate. Alive in LondonThe BBC News Web site feels the way great newspapers have always felt—vital, intelligent, crisp, and lucid. Past, Present, and PeterThe media are missing the mark in using Peter Jennings's death to lament the state of network news. The China CanardChina has become the place to be, the beating heart of media buzz. The Gloom GangThe court ruling against Judith Miller shouldn't prompt the press to declare the end of free journalism in America, as so many media crape-hangers are eager to do. If Newspapers Were LattesNewspaper executives could learn a thing or two from Starbucks about serving the needs of customers. A Media SupremeA high-pressure story like the confirmation fight is a brutal test of the quality of the media. Bio ExhaustionThe season of political biography is here again. Media people are political groupies at heart, and nothing fascinates them more than imagining they live among giants, and actually get to know them personally. Throat ClearingThe resolution of the Deep Throat mystery didn't clear up much of anything for the media. The Buffoonery of 'Balance'Republicans should recognize that liberal broadcasting has real value, of the Machiavellian kind, for them. Conventionally YoursMedia scandals are becoming as routinized as a Japanese tea ceremony, although the scandals differ hugely. Will Work for FoodNewspapers are going to great lengths to stop the readership decline. The Good UncleWhy is the media coverage of Warren Buffet muted, lacking in verve, and often downright sympathetic? Anchors Away!Old or young? Diva or Commentator? A look at the theories about the perfect television news anchor. Middle MarchMore and more establishment news operations are giving the blogging form a whirl. The Human TouchThe news media could learn something from Oprah Winfrey about admitting one's own flaws. Gas BubbleLike economics itself, economic journalism is a dismal, foggy realm where the hapless news consumer is constantly bumping into weird conditionals and subjunctives. The Extrapolation FallacyEven talking about "the media" is beginning to seem absurd. Yet we still do it every day. Sleeping With the EnemyThe hubbub over a blogger getting inside the White House briefing room shows that the blogging story has become a cottage industry—a cultural fashion trend. Storm TroopersThe more people in politics and the media talk about "the perfect storm," the less they actually say. Why Blogs Are Like TulipsBloggers are bold and beautiful today, but like tulips in the 17th century, they could soon fade. The Immortality RaceSocial security faces possible disaster because a lot of people are living into their 80s and 90s. Meanwhile, the new number to beat is 100. The Agony of VictoryThe worst thing that could happen to New England would be for the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. The Canary's SongOther presidents had ways of at least seeming to be humble. George W. Bush doesn't. Politics on the BrainAs this week's Washington hoopla demonstrated, politics is n ow a full-on national obsession. The Tsunami EffectCalamities that take up residence in the collective mind tend to share certain features. The Massless MediaWith the mass media losing their audience to smaller, more targeted outlets, we may be headed for an era of noisy, contentious press reminiscent of the 1800s. |
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