Can There Be Honor in Covering Anna Nicole Smith? And Bob Woodruff Speaks About his Injuries in Iraq

I knew some readers would balk at my thesis today that there can be honor and journalism quality in covering the travailas of self-destructive celebrities such as Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears.

But I'm not sure I was prepared for the anger coming my way from some respondents, including one caller who insisted diplomatically that these stories were "complete bullshit" before asking me if I even liked any of Spears' albums.

After I admitted that I actually did like some of her stuff, he left me with a particularly eloquent rejoinder before the hang-up: "You ain't too hip, bro."

Perhaps. But this isn't about being hip, or cool, or cutting edge. This is about a simple question: Should good journalists spend time doing good stories on celebrity-driven subjects, particularly when they capture the public's attention the way Anna Nicole and Britney have?

I mean, if we can do big stories when Anna Nicole debuts a widely-watched reality TV show, or when Britney releases her new album or film, why wouldn't we do stories when they die unexpectedly or fall into a personal spiral?

The other argument I've been getting in various emails is the "we're at war" argument. Here's that position, epitomized by an email I got this morning: As you know, we are still at war in Iraq, and possibly go into war with Iran (I hope not.) There are soliders dying in front of our faces every day, not to mention the countless lives that were lost on September 11th.  We have been wasting so many damn times on this story. Ms. Smith and Spears knew that they brought this on themselves, and we the media, have been following this story like brainless vultures.  Mr. Deggans, before you write your paycheck, think about not just the soliders, or the victims, but the children who's mom or dad died. Before we rant off on this sweeps-driven nonsense."

True enough, there are people dying every day in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places in American-led conflicts.  But that may be the problem. American soldiers have been dying regularly in these hot spots for nearly four years or more -- by the time Anna Nicole died in early February, nearly 30 U.S. personnel had already been killed this year in Iraq.

The truth is, there will always be death and dying in war zones, and responsible news organizations -- even those that have been covering Britney and Anna Nicole -- have been covering these issues for years.

But I think there are also some good stories in this celebrity news arena. Such as:

--- Which big media companies are making a killing on the peddling of tabloid-style coverage of disintegrating celebrities? Do compaies such as VH1 and E! which create shows based on the dysfunctional lives of celebrities have a responsiblity to get them help? Why aren't they doing so?

---Who has cut deals with the principals in the Anna Nicole custody/paternity fights for exclusive media access? Is that distorting their coverage? Are viewers/readers sufficiently notified of these conflicts?

--- Smith's estate seems likely to be awarded $88-million to $400-million from the estate of her former husband. Who is likely to get control of that fortune? Is it the man who turns out to be the father of her 5-month-old baby? And why hasn't that question been settled until now?

---Some celebrities have turned rehab into a revolving door: well known names such as Britney and Lindsey and Nicole have multiple stints/relapses. Why? What's the difference between those who succeed -- the Craig Fergusons and, so far, Robert Downey Jrs -- and those who don't? Are we seeing people at the center of a particularly corrosive celebrity culture, or do they struggle with the same issues as any other addict?

Of course, then I got an email from a reporter at a small southern newspaper who wanted me to settle a bet: They have information that a particularly self-destructive star may be undergoing rehabin their area. And they had news that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston sold a home they owned together back when news was first breaking that the couple was splitting up.

The newspaper, so far, has sat on both stories. Should they have published?

Hate to admit, if I could have confirmed both stories, I would have gone with them in a heartbeat -- although probably not as major news stories.

Maybe I'm just an old tabloid news editor at heart.

Bob Woodruff Talks About Injury and Loss in Iraq

Courtesy of a major media blitz by ABC News, there's lots of coverage about ABC's documentary at 10 tonight by fallen anchor Bob Woodruff, injured in Iraq by an improvised explosive device in January 2006.

"It was tough to stand there and look at him, 'cause he wasn’t moving," said Woodruff's brother Dave, as quoted in ABC's documentary tonight, upon seeing the anchor in a German hospital.  "I mean, he was on a ventilator, he's got all these things hooked up, and thinking, you know, what, I mean, what happened here?  How, how did, how did this, how'd we get to this point?"

In fact, it tooks weeks for Woodruff to regain his faculties, recovering from injuries which required removing part of his skull to repair.

Now substantialy recovered from his injuries, Woodruff has used his return to TV to highlight the struggles of soldiers who werent as lucky -- coming back from Iraq with significant brain injuries, a side of war which often goes unreported.

"No one wants to go to Richmond and see like the Marine Corps captain that lived in the room next to him that was drooling on himself wearing diapers," said Sarah Wade, the wife of one injured soldier, in tonight's documentary. "It goes from being graphic to disturbing and people don't want to see the disturbing part. I don’t think people can handle that."

Woodruff explores special rehabilitation centers set up across the country, including Tampa, and asks tough questions about whether the Veterans Administration is fully prepared to care for soldiers who return with brain injuries -- theorizing that 150,000 soldiers may have brain injuries that are undiagnosed as military officials pressure their staff not to  speak publicly on the issue.

And while Woodruff promises to keep reporting on the story for ABC News, the ratings success of his successor as top anchor, Charlie Gibson, seems to ensure he won't be able to return to his former job anytime soon, either.   

 

   

Black Donnellys May Get Its Own Oscar Bump

The one thing that struck me while watching ABC's interminable Oscars telecast -- besides wondering why someone beautigful as Nicole Kidman feels she has to get plastic surgery -- was that there were a couple of people cheering The Departed's success who weren't in the Kodak Theater that night.

Because, as much as Black Donnelly's creators Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco might hate to admit it, the success of Deaprted's urban-Irish-crime- drama-as-new-school-Sopranos theme can only help this fledgling series jump into a cutthroat TV universe.

"This has nothing to do with that," Moresco said a couple of weeks ago, when I asked him about the parallels between Donnellys, the Departed and another highly produced Irish working class mob drama, Showtime's Brotherhood. "We wrote this a while back – Haggis and I put this together before we did Million Dollar Baby or Crash; (we did it) for another network....We lost our lead actor, so we went onto other things."

After Haggis and Moresco won accolades co-writing Million Dollar Baby and Crash (Haggis also helped with Oscar-nominaed film such as Letters From Iwo Jima), NBC called offering to greenlight the series.

I've already pulled together a column for 2B today with my thoughts on why this production won't work. I'm going out on a limb to predict that Donnellys will get worse ratings than Studio 60, the show it's replacing tonight, and NBC will be forced to return the low-rated Studio 60 in May to limp to season's end.

But it's fate is bound to helped out by high-profile wins last night by a scrappy Irish-centered mob drama that gives old school guns-and-guts mafia-style  plotlines the veneer of freshness.

Moresco was also touchy on the question of how involved Haggis actually was in the development of the Black Donnelleys ("He and I did it together," he said, bluntly). But a look at Haggis' filmography shows he's credited with helping write Clint Eastwood's two critically acclaimed World War II dramas, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima, along with work on the kickbutt "reboot" of the James Bond franchise Casino Royale.

So, how much could Haggis help develop this intricate series about four Irish brothers caught between Irish and Italian mobsters in what looks like Hell's Kitchen?

That question aside, Moresco bristles at comparisons to films such as Good Fellas and A Bronx Tale because he doesn't think his show's Irish kids are mobsters, anyways.

“It’s different on this front -- these are not mobsters. These are kids who were groomed by a guy who was a union organizer. He taught them good values, to be people who stood up for their neighbors, stood up for things that are right. Unfortunately, the father died and that memory gets twisted and perverted. That's the battle.”

See for yourself, by peeping a sneak preview of tonight's episode here.

What do you think? Does an Irish crime story have a better chance than a backstage look at a late night comedy show?

   

Are Trunk Monkeys Objectionable?

One of the not-quite-perks that goes with the critic's job is taking tips from the public.

More often than not, the calls are simple: you're settling a bet (yes, Bill Cosby had a TV sitcom before his '80s-era hit where he played a phys ed teacher) or telling people whe their favorite show comes back (the one person in the Tampa Bay area who watches Fox's Standoff called to find it returns in April)

Occasionally, you get a good idea (This story, for example, came from a reader tip).  And then there are the borderline cases.

This morning, a reader called to complain about a commercial area Lexus dealers are airing featuring Trunk Monkeys. In the first commercials, for Suburban auto group, these were chimps who would jump from the trunk to solve common driver problems -- road ragers or problem kids, for example.  As an anti-theft device, the monkey would jump out of the trunk, knock out the thief and dump his body in the river "because sometimes getting your car back is simply not enough." Cute.

But a caller complained today about this commercial featuring the "pediatric edition" of the trunk monkey. When I pressed the caller to explain his objections, he wouldn't go into details, telling me to find the commercial and see for myself.

Well, I did, and assuming the guy wasn't yanking my chain, I have no idea what he's talking about. What do you think?

Times Cuts Citrus County Edition as Realities of New Media Landscape Hit Home

Those of us who work here at the Times know we're priviledged in an important way.

Working for a newspaper owned by a non-profit entity, the Times has been able to slog through economic challenges that long ago forced other newspapers into significant layoffs and worse. With no stockholders to appease or distant corporate bosses to serve, we could make our decisions about staffing and resources focused on our core mission -- journalistic excellence.

But news that the Times will shut down its 27-year-old Citrus Times news edition April 2 shows that there are some economic realities even independent newspapers must face eventually.

Readers in Citrus County will still be able to buy the newspaper by subscription, at newsstands or in boxes, and there will be stories on major events in the area handled by reporters working from offices in other areas. But the Citrus Times will go away, and 19 employees from the journalism and business sides must now seek jobs elsewhere in the company or find somewhere else to work. Our corporate attention will turn to higher growth areas with less competition: Hernando and Pasco counties, for instance.

I worked at the Pittsburgh Press when it went through something similar, though it was company-wide -- we were struck by the Teamsters, which forced all union employees to stop working at the building, leaving only the editorial staff to safely cross picketlines. For eight months, we editors and writers walked into the building to work, never sure if the editor would come out of his office and announce that owner Scripps-Howard had decided to cut its losses and we could all head home, jobless. (Instead, Scripps sold the newspaper to a new owner, which promptly laid off 60 percent of the staff, not including me.)

My colleagues in Citrus County now must face a similar ordeal, working to put out a news section whose days have been specifically numbered. That many of them probably don't know where their next move will be, will only makes that task tougher.

As money gets tighter in the media business, the industry gets rougher. And certainly, stories like this are hardly unique when newspapers such as the Philadelphia Inquirer are posting double-digit layoff percentages.

But I think many of us at the Times hoped we would be different. Turns out, though you can slow down the wolf's approach to your door, sometimes you can't keep him away entirely.

Me and Paula Zahn On the Same Page

Under the great minds think alike tip, comes news that CNN's Paula Zahn is exploring the notion of whether hip hop is more damaging than defendable. And for those who thought my story on the issue was harsh, check her title for the report: "Hip Hop - Art or Poison?"

Here's the release:

‘Hip-Hop: Art or Poison’ to Air as Part of CNN's Daylong ‘Uncovering America’ Programming

                 CNN’s Paula Zahn Now will devote a full hour to the discussion of hip-hop music and its impact on the African-American society on Wednesday, Feb. 21.  For “Hip-Hop: Art or Poison,” anchor Paula Zahn talks about this issue with hip-hop producer Russell Simmons, rappers Chuck D and Eve and a special panel of guests.  Paula Zahn Now airs weekdays at 8 p.m. (ET).

               For nearly four months, the “Out in the Open” series on Paula Zahn Now has explored the realities of the racial divide that Americans often discuss privately but rarely acknowledge publicly. With “Hip Hop: Art or Poison,” the program examines whether the music’s lyrics and videos go too far into sex, crime and hate. The special comes amid an unprecedented full day of “Uncovering America” programming across CNN/U.S. built around the theme of “Out in the Open.”

Craig Ferguson Gets Serious About Britney, Anna Nicole and Addiction

It was one of the most interesting bits of television I had seen in a while.

Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson opened his monologue last night noting that he was 15 years sober as of Sunday night -- and that he had a much different weekend than Britney Spears.

As you can see from this link -- CBS won't allow sites to embed this bit -- Ferguson delivers a mostly-serious, artful discourse on the destructive nature of fame and addiction, noting that perhaps a celebrity's life can tank so badly that even late night comics should lay off.

It was an inspired, heartfelt monologue, which helped prove why I insist on TiVo-ing his stream-of-consciousness performances every evening. When you've got a host that talented, all you need to do, is set him in front of a camera and let him connect (news that she has entered rehab again should hearten Ferguson, who suggested she consult a group of experts on addiction listed at the front of the phone book).

Here's an embedded video from a time when Ferguson was less circumspect about who he lampooned on air.

Fallout From Tough Talk About Rap

Anyone who has played a game of telephone knows how hard the job of a reporter is: You record the facts, quotes and impressions of others to tell a story that even those who are in the middle of it may not see the same way you do.

So it's in that light that I'm processing the anger of Orlando from WiLD 98.7 regarding my Floridian story today on a documentary which takes a tough look at rap music.

As you see in the story, I spent nearly two hours with a panel of five folks from the area's rap community. We all were affected by the film HipHop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a documentary airing at 11 tonight on PBS which takes a hard look at some of the destructive images in rap music from a fan's unflinching perspective.

On his radio show this morning, Orlando accused me of taking advantage of him; twisting his words to raise my profile at the newspaper or get the story more attention. But during our panel discussion last week, Orlando offered many more pointed observations about gangsta rap and the culture -- I was surprised and intrigued by a man at the center of the area's hip hop scene stepping up to talk about its challenges so directly.

I'm giving Orlando the benefit of the doubt. I'm assuming that he just forgot some of the things he said during our discussion and is surprised at how stark these words can look in print.

But I'm also convinced that this reaction may be part of hip hop's problem these days. Rather than step up and face the troubling facts, it's far too easy to tell fans what they want to hear and perpetuate a dysfunctional merry-go-round.

I had planned to offer some additional comments from our wonderful discussion to coincide with the story's publication. I hope these help flesh out the amazing discussion we had last week.

Orlando Davis, 35, program director and morning show host at WLLD-98.7 FM (WiLD 98.7)
“When people started saying ‘I don’t mind dying’ and ‘I’m ready to die’ and ‘I’m a thug and you can kill me’…it went from (being called) gangsta rap and became just hip hop... everybody was violent. Now it’s the norm – the ground zero is violent hip hop.”
---“It’s a shell game too. The biggest thing you can say is I’m wanted by these other gangsters, so I need to wear a Kevlar (bullet-proof) vest. But two minutes into my set, somehow, I‘m taking it off…And I’m going to bring my child out with his miniature Kevlar vest…It’s an image -- just like Ronald McDonald with his clown makeup.”

Victoria Jackson, 24, teacher at Achieve Tampa Bay, a Tampa school for disabled kids, who raps as Janu:
“The people who already have that power need to direct it towards telling people how to flip the script…Trick Daddy said in one of his songs how he bought a home in Florida and in the summers he rents it out. (If) Trick Daddy pushed that more, I think others would follow. It’s not enough of it. It’s common sense – but there’s not enough of it.”

Kervens Joseph, studio owner and sometimes instructor at the International Academy of Design and Techonology in Tampa, also known as rapper Acafool:
“When they say hip hop is portraying the destructive black man; That’s not the definition of a man. Hip hop doesn’t make a man. It’s only job is to make you a businessman or display your artistry. That doesn’t make you a man. Your dad makes you a man, if you had the opportunity to grow up with one.”

Deb Hinds, 38, host of a neo-soul show on WMNF-88.5 FM and CEO of Planetsoul.com:

“Those of us who are into soul music are resentful because there’s no R&B artists anymore. I’ll call a station and they’ll say I love lalah hathway, buy her stuff all day long, but we would never play her or promote her concert. People from all of these other types of music are starting to resent hip hop because it’s taking over R&B.”

Bobby "DJ Ekin" Hack, 29, mix show coordinator for WBTP-95.7FM (The Beat):
“(Rap star) 50 Cent has but one job: to take care of himself, please don’t rob my mom and take care of his people. That’s his job. Outside of that…he don’t owe me nothing. If I support that music, then it’s on me.”
       “(Black Entertainment Television cable channel) as a business example: best business plan ever. Because they spend no money and make money hand over fist. But from a culture standpoint: I can’t stand BET….Every show they do is the same thing…We don’t have to be buffoons to be great, but we push those images out first.”

DONALD TRUMP INSPIRED BY BRITNEY???

WWE works its publicity magic again. Having challenged Donald Trump to a wrestling match April 1, where the loser saves his head bald, WWE svengali vince McMahon and his crack photoshot department came up with pictures to predict the outcome:

Something tells me the Trump-ster ain't going Telly Savalas for nobody...

Xm and Sirius to Merge, Leaving One Big Question: Who Survives?

Will it be former Cheers co-star Jay Thomas, Tampa shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge or the knucleheads from 50 Cent's G-Unit crew?

Now that satellite radio companies Sirius and XM have finally confirmed plans to merge their operations in a $13-billion deal, there's a serious detail left unknown.

Who's going to lose their jobs?

Well, okay, there's all the technical and clerical folks whose jobs suddenly  became redundant because some joker at the Company Formerly Known As the Competition now shares their same corporate parentage.

But the big question -- besides the issue of whether federal regulators will approve the deal, or whether the technologies of the two systems can be merged or whether this really will improve their financial fortunes -- is which high-profile (and not-so-high-profile) on air personalities  will get their walking papers.

In my conversations with Bubba's people around the time of his wedding, they expressed mostly confidence about the merger. They are, after all, significant colleagues of the best-known and highest-paid employee at either company. Surely, their talents will be required for a while?

Perhaps. the only person who definitely is losing a job is XM CEO Hugh Panero, who is getting jettisoned for Sirius CEO Mel "friend of Howard" Karmazin. Because XM shareholders will trade their stock for Sirius stock under the proposed deal, and it's the underperforming company of the two, I'm assuming the new company would be called Sirius.

But since all of this is so new, and there's an 8:30 a.m. conference call convened tomorrow morning to discuss it all, I don't think anyone knows much -- not even how many channels the new and improved company might offer subscribers.

A press release issued today predicted he merger would be complete by year's end. But it seems like an awful lot of loose ends to tie up in 10 months -- including a government review process which is known for everything but its speed.

As a Sirius subscriber and fan of satellite radio, I'm torn. I'm hopeful we listeners will get access to XM's 170 channels along with Sirius' 65 or so. But I'm cynically confident it will involve some extra purchase or loss of services that will frustrate me as well.

Here's the release:

SIRIUS and XM to Combine in $13 Billion Merger of Equals

  Provides Consumers with Enhanced Content, Greater Choices and Accelerated
                           Technological Innovation
                                       
     Enables Satellite Radio to Better Compete in Rapidly Evolving Audio
                            Entertainment Industry
                                       
                Extraordinary Value Creation for Shareholders
                                       
Mel Karmazin to Serve as Chief Executive Officer and Gary Parsons to Serve as
                         Chairman of Combined Company

    WASHINGTON and NEW YORK, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XM Satellite
Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR) and SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) today announced
that they have entered into a definitive agreement, under which the companies
will be combined in a tax-free, all-stock merger of equals with a combined
enterprise value of approximately $13 billion, which includes net debt of
approximately $1.6 billion.
    Under the terms of the agreement, XM shareholders will receive a fixed
exchange ratio of 4.6 shares of SIRIUS common stock for each share of XM they
own.  XM and SIRIUS shareholders will each own approximately 50 percent of the
combined company.
    Mel Karmazin, currently Chief Executive Officer of SIRIUS, will become
Chief Executive Officer of the combined company and Gary Parsons, currently
Chairman of XM, will become Chairman of the combined company.  The new
company's board of directors will consist of 12 directors, including Messrs.
Karmazin and Parsons, four independent members designated by each company, as
well as one representative from each of General Motors and American Honda. 
Hugh Panero, the Chief Executive Officer of XM, will continue in his current
role until the anticipated close of the merger.
    The combined company will benefit from a highly experienced management
team from both companies with extensive industry knowledge in radio, media,
consumer electronics, OEM engineering and technology.  Further management
appointments will be announced prior to closing.  The companies will continue
to operate independently until the transaction is completed and will work
together to determine the combined company's corporate name and headquarters
location prior to closing.
    The combination creates a nationwide audio entertainment provider with
combined 2006 revenues of approximately $1.5 billion based on analysts'
consensus estimates.  Today the companies have approximately 14 million
combined subscribers.  Together, SIRIUS and XM will create a stronger platform
for future innovation within the audio entertainment industry and will provide
significant benefits to all constituencies
      "This combination is the next logical step in the evolution of audio
entertainment," said Mel Karmazin, CEO of SIRIUS Satellite Radio.  "Together, our best-in-class management team and programming content will create
unprecedented choice for consumers, while creating long-term value for
shareholders of both companies.  The combined company will be positioned to capitalize on SIRIUS and XM's complementary distribution and licensing
agreements to enhance availability of satellite radios, offer expanded content to subscribers, drive increased advertising revenue and reduce expenses.  Each of our companies has a strong commitment to providing listeners the broadest range of music, news, sports and entertainment and the best customer service possible.  We look forward to sharing the benefits of the exciting new growth opportunities this combination will provide with all of our stakeholders."
    The transaction is subject to approval by both companies' shareholders,
the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory review and
approvals, including antitrust agencies and the FCC.  Pending regulatory
approval, the companies expect the transaction to be completed by the end of
2007.
   

   

 

Criticizing Rap With Love, Thanking Britney Spears and Deggans by Podcast

"If the KKK was smart enough, they would have created gangster rap."

--- anti-gender violence activist Jackson Katz.

When it comes to rap and hip hop culture, how do you hate the sin but love the sinner?

In other words, how do you challenge artists and fans to overcome the culture of violence, misogyny and homophobia rampant in popular rap without losing its creative soul?

   That's a question which has vexed critics and fans since gangsta rap became the gold standard of the industry nearly 15 years ago. Now filmmaker Byron Hurt has stepped up with a "loving critique" of rap that shoulders aside the stereotypes AND the rationalizations -- the powerful Sundance documentary, Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes.

“I’ve learned to not support the music that troubles me," said Hurt. "To listen to the music more critically, you know what I’m sayin’? it was more important to reveal what others were overlooking...There is a lot of artistic greatness in rap. The fact that it is so linked to criminality and misogyny and materialism – it has diminished the art form. I think that’s a problem. It doesn’t really have to be that way. There’s enough talent where the music could be its major selling point. The music is what overwhelms everyone else.”

I've got a way cool story running in Floridian tomorrow in which I convened a panel of local hip hop experts to discuss the themes raised by Hurt's documentary,which airs at 11 p.m. tomorrow night on WEDU as part of PBS' Independent Lens series. To whet your whistle a bit, I present a Q&A with Hurt that couldn't fit in the actual story.

ME: When I was a music critic in New Jersey years ago, right-wing radio personality Curtis Sliwa responded to a critical column I wrote about gangsta rap by asking me onto his radio show to try sliming the entire genre. How do you target the questionable stuff in rap without becoming a tool for those who don't respect the music at all?

Hurt: “What you’re feeling, what I’m feeling, what Chris Rock is feeling -- a lot of people are feeling. You’re not the first person to say 'I listen to hip hop, but I’m torn by the negative messages.' People say this film says everything I’ve been saying to my friends. Educators are saying this is everything I try to talk to my students about in one hour. The executives and artists, they’ve been very good at silencing the critics... I know that pieces like mine have the potential to be co-opted by people who are being critical, but being critical for very different reasons The feedback I’ve been getting from my closest advisors, they’ve said you do a good job of contextualizing hip hop within the confines of a larger culture. I can’t control what people do in the universe. I know why I made the film and to whom the film is directed to."

What's the biggest criticisms you've heard so far?

“I think that there are still some men who deflect the issues. They don’t want to take an honest examination of manhood. They want to bring up questions of the women who appear in these videos. Some people do say that I needed to show more positive examples of hip hop or talk about the good things that rappers do...but that’s not what the film is about. No artists reacted negatively. Chuck D has embraced it. Everbody who has seen it embraced it.”

Why do you think these themes persist?

“They knew – they were making clear decision. A lot of people say conscious rap doesn’t sell. They were clear on that, so that’s the huge subtext, Even Fat Joe’s new album -– I like Fat Joe as a person. His most recent CD, its real hardcore -– it’s a gansta CD. Fat Joe is so much smarter and so much more sophisticaed and so much more socially conscious than any album he has every dropped...I know that there’s a whole lot more that these rappers have to offer. They know what will get them record deals and what won’t get them record deals. It’s not that they’re not presenting some truth from their lives.”

When does the audience become part of the problem?

“The moment they realize it’s a problem, but they continue to buy it. They’re not challenging it – not walking away. I was an audience member. I’m not in the music industry. I was a rap fan who decided to make this film. For me, it was my form of taking action. And I considered it my way of giving to the art form. Thirty years from now, what will I have added to the culture? I grew up listening to hip hop, I read the source and XXL – I was on the pulse of things, but I did do a lot of research and reading, just to...understand how corporate culture and corporate media colludes to disseminate this music that is amoral.”

It feels to me sometimes like the moment when a young man takes his time crossing the street, finding power in making you wait a bit..there's a power in intimidating people, especially when that's the only power you have.

“The image of black and latino men doing these things are more consumable  because it’s a stereotype, and it plays into the idea of what these men are like – it feeds these fantasies about a hypersexual black man. It acts  as a stand in for white males, who might fantasize about being in that body. I listened to a freestyle on Hot 97 with 50 Cent and G-Unit. Every single one of their freestyles it was everything the black has historically been known for – dangerous, wild, violent hypersexual – all of those things. It feel powerful to thump your chest and sya I can do this to you,  can do that to you. But how is it really working – how is it really operating in a real way. Is this, challenging the status quo or reinforcing it?

Short Takes

Turns out VH1's most-watched series features two guys from Tampa -- or it did, until Sandro "Rico" Pena was shown getting kicked off the anti-Bachlorette series I Love New York last week. Internet rumors say Tampa rapper Patrick "Tango" Hunter wins it all, based on the fact that series star threw up a "T" hand signal during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. I did a piece Saturday on Tango's newfound fame and the way the show seems to regurgitate stereotypes of black people for mass consumption.   

-- Turns out, CNN has video podcasts of its shows available, so you don't have to just read my words of wisdom on the transcripts anymore. You can check out the way cool suit my mom bought me for Christmas yourself, anytime.

-- BRITNEY SHEARS (thanks Colette!) -- Thanks to Britney for damping down the expected flood of Anna Nicole stories today by freaking out and taking some shears to her too-famous mane. Given that she had this meltdown in such a public way, Spears' journey into Sinead O'Connor-land feels like a toddler's temper tantrum, enabled by a coterie of handlers and hangers-on who can't make the self-destructive pop star fill the void inside herself with something positive or convince her to live for her children.

And can someone explain to me why she's walking around with a wig on days after cutting all her hair off in the first place?

Why Can't Conservatives Be Funny on TV? And Deggans on CNN Sunday

It's a law of media solid as gravity: conservatives get to rule talk radio and cable news, while liberals get documentaries, public radio and late night comedy shows.

If you need any further proof, tune into Fox News Channel at 10 p.m. Sunday to see the least-funny, most awkward TV news spoof I've ever seen on a professional television outlet, The 1/2 Hour News Hour (and this is coming from someone who has watched at least two episodes of MAD TV).

It's not that this tremendously awful enterprise makes fun of liberals -- I've been digging the Daily Show's skewering of assorted Clintons, Kennedys and Pelosis for years. It's that the jokes on this show -- developed by 24 executive producer Joel Surnow -- simply aren't funny. Ever.

Here's a sample:

Opening skit features Rush Limbaugh as president and Ann Coulter as vice president in 2009, promising that the "grownups are back in charge" while chuckling about Cindy Sheehan's cross country shooting spree and blowing off a phone call from Nancy Pelosi.

Fake newscast notes Hillary Clinton has promised, if elected president she will "surround herself with a diverse, multiethnic, multigenerational group of angry lesbians."

Another fake news item notes Iran denying it held a holocaust denial conference and looking through several liberal-inspired children's books coming soon, including "Harry Potter and the Alternative Lifestyle" and "James and the Giant Melanoma" ("Let's just say it doesn't have a happy ending," cracks the prim-looking actress cum news anchor).

There's a parody commercial for the ACLU "twisting the constitution since 1920," and a look at Barack Obama's BO magazine (along with a quip about how his candidacy was endorsed by another black politician who has admitted using drugs, Marion Barry). There's only one real comedian desperate enough to get near this mess -- standup comic Dom Irerra as a t-shirt manufacturer so deparaved he would put Idi Amin's face on a shirt alongside Che Guevara.

Sides splitting yet?

All this anti-liberal merriment feels like particularly sour grapes given the way voters thumped Republicans in the last elections. (Oh look at the liberal scientist who blames everything on global warming! And another Ed Begley Jr joke -- groundbreaking and edgy!)

And one-sided humor helps no one: even Saturday Night Live makes fun of Pelosi, the Clintons, Jesse Jackson and just about every other liberal institution and politician out there. So the notion of a comedy show which aims its guns only to the left seems even more, um, misguided.

Surnow better stick to turning 24 into a conservative fantasyland (where torture actually yields accurate information and a mealy-mouthed black liberal president is letting suicide bombers kill people all over America). Because at a time when even SNL is having trouble making us laugh, the guy who blew off pleas to stop the torture scenes on 24 is hardly qualified to to take a shot.   

Deggans on CNN Sunday

More punditry coming: Howie Kurtz hasn't wised up yet, so I'll be joining the Washington Post's Frank Ahrens to talk about why black people's TV viewing habits seem so much different than white people's (hint: black people like watching other black people on TV! It's true!). We'll hit at about 10:30 a.m. or so on Sunday on Howie's Reliable Sources show.

--- And my pal Bob Andelman is back to his old tricks as Mr. Media, writing a media blog of his own and offering audio of interviews every Friday of way-cool media figures. His first offering, released today, is David Simon, creator of The Wire (a talk I helped him hook up); he was even sharp enough to get the interviews carried by iTunes as podcasts (and don't think I won't be ripping off that idea soon).

Show him some love, my people.

 

WTSP News Bloopers From the 1980s!

What did Dick Fletcher look like with black hair? How did Mike Deeson handle trying to open a resistant, Tampa Times newspaper rack while delivering a report? And why do biker babes seem compelled to flash a camera whenever the red light goes on?

Check out the answers in this collection of bloopers from St. Petersburg's WTSP-Ch. 10 from the 1980s, back when it was the Action News station locally. (Many thanks to the message boards at Florida News Center site, where I first saw this link)

Letterman Sticks Up for the St. Pete Times, Provides Another Reason to Hate Paul Shaffer

Bad enough that he foisted the Blues Brothers on us as their musical director, now the oddest keyboardist in show biz is insulting half of the 12th largest TV market in the country, calling St. Petersburg a "little village."

Good thing his boss, late night king David Letterman, knows a thing or two about the area and the St. Petersburg Times (his sister, a former editorial board member and assistant features editor, still works here).

Of course, considering the news story he quotes from us, maybe we would have been better off without the  shout out:

News War Connects the Dots on Vanishing Press Freedoms; And How an Ailing NYC Police Officer Fooled the Media

Turns out, defrocked New York Times reporter Judith Miller did more than help sell us all on a misguided war in Iraq.

She also produced a court decision that may change the shape of press freedom for decades to come -- encouraging government prosecutors to force reporters to reveal their confidential sources in stories that come too close to govenrment investigations.

The end result: reporters working everywhere from the national security beat to baseball's steroid scandal now must fear being dragged into court, asked about the identity of their sources and choosing between betraying the confidence -- and destroying their crediblity as reporters -- or going to jail.

That's just one of the many uplifting truths explored in Frontline's compelling new documentary, News War, airing at 10 tonight on WEDU-Ch. 3 (check out PBS' web site chock full of video snippets and extras here).

Throughout this four-hour story airing over two months, Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent Lowell Bergman connects the dots between Miller's involvement in the Valerie Plame scandal, attempts to force reporters top testify in court, and the escalating war between the White House and big-time journalists for control of the national agenda.

"The Bush administration does not accept that the press has a legitimate pulbic interest role," notes media writer Ken Auletta, one of more than 80 sources Bergman interviews to trace the contours of this particular News War. (hear Bergman speak on the issues raised by his series to Fresh Air's Terry Gross here).

Miller's resistance to divulging who told her the identity of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame -- and her newspaper's decision to resist prosecutors to the point Miller herself was jailed -- led to a reaffirmation that reporters had no right to refuse to testify about sources in federal court. That decision has been used to pressure journalists to reveal sources everywhere from the Wen Ho Lee case to the BALCO baseball and steroids scandal.

Bergman also notes that prosecutors may be more aggressive because public sympathy for journalists is at an all-time low. Back during the Watgergate era, journalists were seen as the crusaders who unmasked the law breaking of the Nixon White House and efforts to hide the failure of war in Vietnam. (at left, heroic '70s-era Watergate investigative reporters next to today's celebrity/journalist, CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo)

News War doesn't explicitly cite a few other elements leading to the press' public relations tumble, including efforts by government officials to discredit journalism, attacks by an organized conservative-oriented media structure and high profile press mistakes such as the Wen Ho Lee reporting and Dan Rather's Memogate scandal.

Still, as I noted Sunday, this is a show worth watching -- even though it plays out mostly as a parade of old white guys in ties talking about govenrment, law and journalism. Because sometimes the importance of connecting the dots in our society can be directly proportional to how boring sifting through all the information actually is.

More Short Takes

Perhaps the counter terrorism officials who couldn't name the difference between Sunni and Shi'ite arabs should tune in: NPR has an interesting series of reports detailing the history of divisions between the two groups all this week. And the coolest thing about NPR reports is that the service's focus on digital media means they're available as streaming audio and podcasts long after they air.

---Speaking of NPR, my pal Kelly McBride, head of the media ethics program at the Poynter Institute here in St. Petersburg, had a wonderful commentary aired on public radio Monday about her kids getting a false sense of athletic accomplishment from playing sports games on the Nintendo Wii. Parents everywhere who have yelled at their children to go outside and play already, were nodding across the nation in agreement.

---And the NYT had an interesting story today about Cesar Borja -- a 52-year-old policeman who died recently after being lauded as someone who worked tirelessly in the ruins of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks, only to contract a fatal lung disease for his trouble.

Problem is, the man's own diaries showed he didn't work at the disaster site as long as news reports claimed; he didn't have a formal shift at the site until December 2001 -- three months after the attack. But news reports breathlessly recounted his work as a first responder on the attack site and his son has become a high-profile spokesperson on the issue of health care for ailing 9/11 emergency responders.

His family, who tiptoes aound the question of why they didn't correct apparently false reports that he spent so much time working as a volunteer on the rubble, said the New York Times' recent request for documentation of his work was the first time any newspaper asked for documentation of his efforts. Seems some media outlets were so desperate for a 9/11 rescue worker illness story, they didn't look too hard at the one which was handed to them.

 

Police Confirm Reunion Tour...More Fanboy Rejoicing

I've seen some city lists which include Tampa from their press conference today announcing a reunion tour, but not at reputable Web sites, so I don't know if we'll see the Police-men locally. But here's a taste of what's to come from their reunion performance at their induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame:

My Favorite News Blooper...

And here's my favorite news blooper -- (can you tell I'm testing a new technique for embedding YouTube video into my blog?)

The Police Prove Arresting at the Grammys

I'm such a Police-head, I had to post this reunion appearance, even though I've heard these guys play this song so much I could go the rest of my life without hearing it again....

Michael Eric Dyson: Black Underclass' Most Unlikely Enemy May Be Black Middle Class

I know a few black columnists who hate Black History Month. To them, every month should honor the achievements of black folks, and I don't disagree.

But I more often compare Black History Month to Valentine's Day. Sure, you love your special someone every day, but does it really hurt to have an occasion when you make sure to pay tribute?

So far, this Black History Month, I've been priviledged to participate in a wide-ranging debate on black leadership with NPR correspondent Juan Williams and Saturday I heard hip hop pundit Michael Eric Dyson lay the smackdown on some social issues at a special boule held by the Tampa chapter of Sigma Pi Phi.

I was there because the group I lead, the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists, received the boule's first annual Award of Excellence for our work supporting diversity in area media. it was an awesome feeling, facing some of the sharpest black leaders in the Tampa Bay area and having our work lauded. But it paled in comparison to the reaction I would have upon hearing Dyson speak.

Part college professor, part Baptist preacher, part rapper and singer, Dyson regaled the crowd with his plea for the black middle class to drop its "Afro-amnesia" and resist condemning poor black people for the negative choicces they make. Instead, he encouraged leaders to reach out and encourage -- acting as "trojan horses" by bringing the sensibilities of black culture inside the boardrooms, classrooms and newsrooms where we all tread.

i've always found Dyson a bit too willing to blame institutions for individuals' actions when I've seen him do the pundit thing in places such as Tavis Smiley's radio show or Bill Maher's HBO talk show. But speaking at the Grand Hyatt in Tampa Saturday, Dyson echoed a lot of the ideas I've been writing about recently: taking issue with black celebs such as Bill Cosby and Oprah Winfrey looking down on members of the black underclass for failing to access the mainstream in the way they have. (he's kicking that issue with my old pal, Bill O'Reilly, here).

People in the underclass aren't stupid or insane: they've heard all the talk about what dropping out of high school gets you; what having a baby out of wedlock gets you; what unprotected sex gets you. But still, many of them are making these choices every day.

And even though I have no idea why -- and Dyson didn't really seem to, either -- I do know that Cos and Oprah and O'Reilly will never get them to make different choices by insulting their culture and their lifestyle. What they will do, is please all those middle class folks -- black and white -- who want to pile easy blame on a complex problem.

Dyson left the boule audience with a lot to think about along those lines, I left feeling I really was onto something. Great minds, and all that...

Questions Every Student of Media Should Ask About Race

As someone who has spent more than a little time trying to teach, I consider it the highest honor when someone tells me they've used my work to teach others something.

So I was particularly jazzed when a former student who teaches at the University of Georgia asked me to write a post on this topic to help spark discussion in his journalism and media classes. So for his students -- and you, dear reader -- here's a few questions I always try to ask:

What assumptions am I making -- or not making -- about a potential story or issue involving race and media? Often the biggest problem with understanding race issues is getting at the core of the story, free from assumptions which may cloud the reporting process.

Am I assuming white culture is the default culture? One notorious Philadelphia Daily News cover featured a photo of the all-white cast of the Philadelphia-set family TV drama American Dreams wuith the headline "Just Like Us." But you have to wonder what that might mean to a black, Hispanic, Asian or working class family. What is the newspaper saying about who they define as "us" and who is defined as "them."

Am I seriously considering perspectives which don't mirror my own? Diversity in your information doesn't count much if you don't consider that people who don't agree with you might have a point.

If media images don't matter, why is a billion-dollar industry based on them? I have often dealt with media executives who shrug off stereotypical images presented in their shows by saying "It's just TV." But free TV is based on the notion that showing viewers images repeatedly spurs action; making you buy a partcular soda or try a particular product. So why wouldn't that affect your perception of a people?

Does the drive for "positive" media images also handcuff artists of color? While people of color are understandably sensitive about how they are portrayed in films and TV, some artists of color say the drive to avoid "negative" images keeps them from fuly exploring their creativity or playing meaty roles. Sometimes the question of whether a particular portrayal is positive or not is more complex than it seems.

Am I recognizing that stereotypes are seductive and entertaining? People sometimes assume that because racism is so ugly, media which perpetuates and utilizes stereotypes must also be awful. But some of TV's most entertaining shows were also the most stereotypical (Amos N' Andy, Sanford and Son), often producing large audiences, even among the groups who were stereotyped.

Do I understand the true importance of challenging stereotypes in media?  Stereotypical images in media have long been used as mechanisms to further the subjugation of minorities. It happens in two ways: white people, many of whom will never have meaningful contact with minorities, are given a false vision of their culture which justifies their second-class status. And people of color are convinced they deserve their place by stereotypes in media which emphasize their deficiencies.

Do I understand that a media outlet or a person can present a stereotypical image without being racist? Another problem I often encounter is that people think they can't possibly be presenting a stereotypical image or problematic program because they are not rracist. and they assume that, because I'm highlighting what I think is a mistake they've made, that I'm calling them racist by implication. But anyone can stumble on these issues without joining the KKK.

If any of you in blogland have your own questions -- serious efforts only, please -- feel free to share in the comments section.

    

Stop the Anna Nicole Whining, Already

It's reliable as a Rush Limbaugh tirade the day after a Hillary Clinton speech: if a celebrity's shenanigans produce a huge amount of media coverage, somebody is going to complain about it.

As someone who often gets paid to do such work, I'm sympathetic. But i think people need to get a serious grip and realize what kind of media universe we live in.

The complaint these days is about all the attention paid to the death Thursday of Anna Nicole Smith. a celebrity of dubious talent whose fame came mostly from her horribly dysfunctional private life, Smith is the kind of celebrity who draws mostly sneers from those of us who work in the so-called mainstream media. So when her death was met with coverage rivaling a space shuttle disaster, the critics began clucking in earnest.

My friend Richard Prince quoted CNN's Jack Cafferty complaining about the Smith overcoverage on his own channel -- pushing out news of a helicopter crash which killed sevcen soldiers and reports on the Scooter Libby trial -- work which pushed CNN past rival Fox News Channel in a rare ratings surge.

But let's take a deep breath and really think about this.  

The helicopter crash Cafferty was companining about happened a full day before Smith's death, on Wednesday. so news outlets had a full cycle to report that news. And, sad as it may be, the drumbeat of deaths in Iraq is steady and unyielding; three U.S. soldiers died during fighting in Aynbar province friday and three more died Saturday in an explosion. So far, 11 days into february, 36 soldiers have been killed in Iraq -- which means such reports aren't quite breaking news.

Similarly, the Libby trial has been in the news for weeks -- opening statements in the trial were delivered Jan. 24. Surely, Cafferty isn't suggesting that CNN couldn't take a break from covering a trial it has kept laser-like focus on for more than two weeks?

Now let's take Anna Nicole's specifically sordid public image out of the mix and look at the facts of her story. A 39-year-old celebrity, whose 20-year-old son died five months earlier, dies unexpectedly under similar circumstances. Because she often seems sluggish and out-of-it in public, there are strong concerns that her demise is drug-related. She's in the middle of a paternity battle related to her 5-month-old child, with a man who claims to be an ex-boyfriend. Now that she's dead, if the ex-boyfriend proves his paternity, he becomes the guardian of a child who may be worth $400-million thanks to Smith's ongoing lawsuit against the estate of her second husband, a 90-year-old billionaire at the time of his death. And we haven't even mentioned the faux marriage in the Bahamas to the creepy lawyer who claims to be the 5-month-old's daughter but is resisting a paternity test.

An estate possibly worth millions. A public paternity fight. The possibility of a drug overdose death by a celebrity who isn't yet 40. On what planet isn't this news?

Toss in the tremendous amount of pop culture impact her death brings becuase of her sordid, sexy image, and you have the kind of story that merits serious attention.

So it's time for journalists to stop the whining and do our jobs already.

Yes, it's tough when public figures with a seamy side dominate the news cycle. But part of being a fair journalist is covering these figures when they commit real news, too. And not copping out by pretending their news matters less because we don't like who they are. 

And yes, I now have written my third Anne Nicole-related post in a row just to make that point dramatically clear.