Nearly everyone approaches the subject of the September 11 attacks with great sobriety and weight. But not everyone finds the same lessons, or favors the same reactions. Take for example the music produced in response to the attacks-and how it has been received. Earlier this summer, country star Toby Keith was scratched by ABC's Peter Jennings from a list of performers for the network's Independence Day festivities. Keith's song "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" struck a hugely positive chord with country fans, but received a parade of boos from the cultural elite. It was just too unsophisticated in... continue reading
If "news" can be defined as "what the editor says it is," as Walter Cronkite's longtime producer Leslie Midgely once observed, it follows that what is "newsworthy" can also speak volumes about the editorial slant of the news outlet. Just ask anyone who a) takes his religious faith seriously and b) reads The Washington Post. On Sunday, August 25, readers of The Washington Post were presented with two major stories on religion. In the Sunday Style section came another disturbing story about the Catholic Church from Post religion reporter Caryle Murphy. For months, the Post has surpassed other national media... continue reading
In democracies, cultural revolutions usually arrive in baby steps. Proposed radical political change through governmental action is normally repulsed or, if enacted, soon rejected. Political movements are better advised to first change the culture, to force social change through society's institutions of education and information, in schools, entertainment, and the news media. They succeed when they create the impression that the unpopular trend they're pushing is historically inevitable, and resistance is futile. Such is the gay left's attempt to water down the definition of marriage until it has no unique meaning. The idea of gay "marriage" is opposed by the... continue reading
Now here's something that doesn't happen every day: radio shock jocks are having to absorb some shock of their own. Greg Hughes and Anthony Cumia, known in 18 markets as the envelope-pushing "Opie and Anthony," were fired by Infinity Broadcasting for encouraging a Virginia couple to have sex inside St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City while producer Paul Mercurio gave listeners the pew-rocking play-by-play on his cell phone. This unusually offensive prank - carried on as worshipers came to this hallowed house of God to celebrate the holy day of obligation marking Mary's assumption into Heaven - prodded even... continue reading
Another summer of freedom for teenagers is again tumbling to a close. After months of being late to bed and later to rise, children are agonizing over another year of organized learning about to begin. So the commissars of teen culture have thrown one last TV party - the "Teen Choice Awards," voted on by the readers of Seventeen magazine and broadcast on that antonym of wholesomeness, Fox. If you're a boy or girl of 12, and you're about to take a plunge into the world of teenagerdom, what would television teach you about this miraculous time? 1. Dress light... continue reading
Reporters can be as two-faced as politicians. On Monday, they say one thing. Come Tuesday, they can say the opposite without a hint of embarrassment. Too often, the press pack floats along like a balloon tied to the Democratic donkey's tail, and like the Democrats they are capable of saying anything that fits the political agenda of the moment. First we had the story that Bush "taking a month off" would hurt him in the polls. Then when he tried to throw the reporters a bone by holding an economic conference in Waco during that "vacation," a public-relations event that... continue reading
The good news: The summer of 2002 has been a pleasing cornucopia for family movies. Nearly every weekend, parents have a new movie their kids are pressuring them to see. Animated creativity bloomed with Disney's "Lilo and Stitch" and Dreamworks' "Spirit." TV cartoons like "The Powerpuff Girls" and "Hey Arnold!" turned out cinematic spinoffs - although they were dragged down by puzzling PG ratings and limited screening times throughout their short term at the cineplex. Even in late summer, kids can still choose between family-pleasing sequels to "Spy Kids" and "Stuart Little." The bad news: Families-or to be more precise,... continue reading
It's been almost two years since Bill Clinton left office, leaving only piles of purchased pardons and the carpet indentations of all the suddenly missing free furniture, but many Democrats have yet to overcome their addiction to Clinton's political mojo. And where the Democrats go, many reporters are sure to follow, enthusiastically putting Clinton's soiled image into a cycle of rinse and repeat. The Washington Post's Kevin Merida reports that during a Bethesda, Maryland fundraiser featuring Clinton, one Democratic admirer thought Clinton would walk away with the 2004 presidential nomination if he could have it. "Absolutely. Clear the field. No... continue reading
It seems like a lifetime ago - before Tipper Gore cravenly backed out of the culture-criticism business so her husband could more effectively mine that Hollywood cash - that MTV was criticized for its racy music videos. What began more than 20 years ago as a music channel today is mostly the headquarters for envelope-pushing, teen-driven sex and violence. The "M" really ought to stand as a rating, except the last thing MTV cares for is mature audiences. How bad is it? A new survey by the Parents Television Council analyzing last season's worst shows on basic cable television found... continue reading
August is usually an awful month for news out of the nation's capital, and so the national press will try hard to make something out of nothing. Here we go again with what's becoming a rite of passage: Media attacks on Republican presidents' vacation habits. Do you remember how Ronald Reagan was constantly accused of taking too much time off at the ranch in California? It was a curious line of reasoning for the sages of the newsroom, since they spent the rest of the year warning America that Reagan was hard at work slashing the hearts out of social... continue reading