End of Year Thoughts on Job Searches and the News Business

With the economy going from bad to really bad, I recently applied to lead newsrooms, in several interesting markets. Despite my exhortations and long record of success, general managers can’t seem to get past the ten year interval since my last news director job. Another problem may be that the last ten years have not been well used by many of those running TV stations. Instead of building new models of storytelling and promoting approaches that appeal to the social networking culture, stations have focused on finding ways to do what they have traditionally done, only more cheaply. The result is fewer viewers and little appeal for younger audiences. Cutting costs, though necessary, will not save, or even improve, TV news.

One of the great recent changes is the advent of video journalists (VJs) who write, shoot, and edit their own stories. Also known as backpack journalists, stations and other news organizations, including newspapers, are using the new technology in different ways. Made possible by smaller cameras and desktop editing programs, the positive potential of VJs is enormous. Many stations and even international networks are using these tools reasonably effectively, and have been for some time. But there are problems. Audiences are not growing. The new tools and cost savings may help the bottom line but inevitably drive viewers away rather than draw them in. Even on the web, few of these video entries rise to the level of compelling content.

If a VJ is going to produce a news story, she, or he, can’t do it the way a three person team, a reporter-videographer-editor, would tell the same story. Competing against a team of specialists who are doing the same thing will often find the generalist (the VJ) with a story that is not as interesting, compelling, and attractive to viewers.

Before we go any further let me make it clear that I support, encourage, and embrace the use of VJs. The more personal approach the new tools make possible offers creative possibilities that prior generations could only dream about. When VJs have failed to thrive it is because of what they are being asked to do. Unless the VJ tells stories that give viewers something other than what they can get from a traditional news package, they will be destined to look like a new—but not necessarily improved--version of an old medium.

Instead, TV news departments must properly engage new technologies by encouraging formats that are conducive to the tools. That means exercising judgment in figuring out which stories are right for VJs and having options—including traditional crews--available. The challenges and safety concerns in covering the news demand that sometimes one person cannot cover a story alone. On the other hand, certain stories can be better covered with smaller, less intrusive equipment, and storytellers who are personally engaged and know how to use technology to create meaning out of the events, people, and issues that make up news. It also matters on what device the story will be viewed.

Because there is a fear of failure—understandable but ultimately destructive—station leaders tend to resist new approaches. The result, as stated earlier, is slow, steady decline. Reversing this trend means welcoming experimentation. Start small. Choose one newscast to try new ways of using technology to tell stories differently. But be smart. I have seen too many failed experiments. One station placed a good looking anchor on a big map to give a traffic report, sort of going low tech to highlight the personality. Such gimmicky approaches add nothing of value. They are being different just for the sake of being different.

Making this work also involves structuring news departments differently. Command and control must be replaced with a well articulated hierarchy of goals that are dynamic and news driven. Self directed teams that understand their assignments will be creatively challenged to deliver content that matters using technology that supports each particular approach.

So what will this all look like? Story tellers must connect and insert themselves in the stories they capture with small cameras. It is an approach that requires engagement and social awareness but must be supported by a foundation of good journalism. Ultimately, it is walking a thin line but being able to maintain a fair minded approach while presenting—even embracing--different sides of an issue. It is not a traditional 1:30 news package.

These are not wild dreams. On the contrary, I understand the daily demands of running a successful and profitable news organization, which is precisely why I am eager to work again in news at this critically important turning point. So, I will continue to dream and work toward making things better. Others’ reluctance, based on their fear of failure, will continue to be an obstacle. Finding ways to effectively overcome obstacles is the pathway to success.

A Poorly Chosen Word

I got a note from a mortgage company the other day that made me laugh and then it made me angry. The note was touting lower interest rates available now and urging me, and other readers of the E-newsletter, to take advantage of the just over 5% fixed rate loans currently available. The sentence that followed is what got my attention. It mentioned—and I’m paraphrasing, but the word in quotes is a direct quote—that the “greed” involved in waiting for an even lower rate should not stop us from refinancing right now. Unbelievable! A bank, a mortgage bank, admonishing customers not to be greedy.

As we know, the mortgage crisis is at the heart of our current economic troubles. We also know that the Treasury Department is working to bring mortgage rates even lower, a good idea that will stimulate the economy. So, for a mortgage banker to suggest that “greed” would motivate a potential customer to wait shows a disconnection from reality, at worst, or a loose use of words, at best. For somebody to try and get an additional ¼ to a ½ percent better rate on a mortgage could mean the difference between keeping a home and losing it. It could mean sending a kid to college with little or no debt, or saddling the next generation with the fruits of the current folly. No, trying to wait it out for a better rate is not greed at all; it is thrift, something that has been in too short supply lately. Could waiting backfire? Certainly, and that was the well-meaning point of the banker’s admonition. But “greed” was clearly the wrong word.

On the other hand, greed is when somebody who has enough, or much more than enough, wants even more. And we have had too many examples of real greed in the last few weeks. The bankers who took bonuses while accepting taxpayer funded bailouts, the governor accused of trying to personally profit from abusing the public trust, or the investment adviser with several multi-million dollar homes who runs a high level Ponzi scheme, all represent greed in its true meaning.

So please, if you’re trying to sell mortgages, don’t abuse the language and insult your potential customers.

There, I feel better now.

Choices for Changing Times

Without doubt or hesitation, I can say with certainty, the toughest thing for me to do as a news executive was firing an employee. I bring this up now because so many people are facing lay-offs and dismissals as the economy struggles. We had an unwritten rule that if somebody had to be laid off or fired, we would not do it during the holiday season. As I write those words this simple courtesy seems almost quaint. Every day we learn of more people losing their jobs with much of the tough news being delivered right now, just a little more than a week before Christmas. And that is strangely emblematic of how things have changed.

The backdrop to the real stories of workers at every level struggling because of lack of work is stark and filled with greed. When we read about a governor trying to sell the public trust to the highest bidder, and elite financial managers ripping off billions, as highly paid corporate executives use private jets while they beg for even more billions, it’s hard not to become angry. The problem with anger is that it’s most useful when it motivates profound strategic change, as opposed to revenge and justification for even more bad behavior.

Economists like to talk about corrections. The idea being that the market will adjust to changes and move ahead after down cycles. But even Alan Greenspan admits that he made a mistake in relying too much on this process. So now our only recourse is bailouts that cost billions and eventually may be in the trillions.

There is a spiritual dimension to our current situation that doesn’t get enough attention. We have to change the way we regard each other and the idea of public service and what we value. I’m reminded of this notion by Anna Quindlen’s current column in Newsweek. Being close in age to Ms. Quindlen, I, too, remember saving for something we wanted and not relying on credit. I also remember the first time my parents received a Master Charge (that’s what it was called then) card in the mail; they cut it up, immediately. If we can't pay for it, we shouldn't buy it. The point is that when we start to value things, more than people and ideas, we wind up where we are.

So as we collectively struggle through these economically tough times we need to take stock of what is really valuable to us and how we can add even more value in ways that matter, in contrast to acquiring more things. Perhaps the anger we feel at the excesses exposed by our current crisis can be directed toward positive purposes that celebrate our common concerns. The media might help if we demand more than the current menu that passes for entertainment. A little mind numbing crap—as I call it in our household—has its place; in small doses, escapism can help us get through the day or night. But a steady diet will lead to psychic disease and death of the spirit. And for the media business that’s the real problem. With all the cutting and layoffs, the efficiencies that save money, we are missing opportunities to build and innovate. Good programming, and well-produced content, still draw an audience. Fortunately, there are still some excellent programs and movies. The challenge is to constantly improve and use the new technologies to inspire and lead. The real value in presenting quality content will be rewarded and help more than the “bottom line”. By being a positive force we become part of the solution to our own and larger problems. But if it's just about cutting the payroll, media companies will wind up in the same situation as the banks and car makers.

Two Guys from the Neighborhood, Sort of

So now comes the sordid saga of Rod from Chicago. I’ve never met the soon to be ex-governor of Illinois, but I’ve known people like him my whole life. Growing up in Queens, wannabe tough guys—whether physical or political—were around. Their profanity-laden tirades are part of the package. In every sense, these guys are bullies, unattractive, despicable. Often, they have a charming demeanor or other pseudo redeeming qualities that disguise the greedy motives that drive their egocentric behavior. In the end, though, it’s all about them. Service to others fuels their rhetoric but any collateral good that may come from their actions is merely a coincidence. If others benefit from their activities those “good works” become a shield for the more shady revelations that inevitably follow. So whether Rod is like those guys or not will be decided by history and the legal process, but the images resonate as we watch this latest melodrama unfold

During our current recession, greed and self-interest will continue to be in the spotlight. We can rail at CEOs who take millions while their companies crumble, unions that demand inflated wages for a few while others lose everything, and politicians who forget the meaning of the oaths they solemnly swear. But two ideas must move to the forefront and stay there in this season of goodwill.

First, we have to be vigilant and demand that our “watchdogs” in the mainstream media along with bloggers and community journalists expand their efforts in holding those in power accountable. Speaking truth to power must be even more highly valued during these difficult days.

Second, we need to honor those who serve, and service as a value. Our spiritual traditions teach us about service—even love--for our fellow humans, and demand fidelity to higher values, whether called God or something more secular. Service, after all, is the essence of good leadership.

Finally, a look back at the old neighborhood would reveal many characters categorically more noble than Rod from Chicago. For every Rod another name in the news comes to mind, General Eric Shinseki. Men and women like Shinseki are the real tough guys, the good ones. Most didn’t go to West Point and earn four-star commissions, but they go to work every day and make important differences in the lives of others. They work as first responders and teachers, nurses and doctors, aides who change bed pans and entrepreneurs who fix everything from computers to toilets. Of course, the list goes on; they are honest people who care.

Gen. Shinseki spoke truth to power as army chief of staff. He told his bosses what they didn’t want to hear. He lost his job over it. But he demonstrated integrity. So for every Rod from Chicago we have brave women and men who simply speak the truth, because the greater good trumps their own interests. So wherever you grew up, whether a big city like New York or Chicago, or someplace smaller, reflect about those you know and whom you would really trust. Those like Gen. Shinseki are tough guys in the best sense; the wannabes, like Rod, are nothing more than sad tragedies who hurt themselves, their families, and the rest of us.

A View from the Edge

On a bench near the beach,
On the edge of the ocean.

We saw the pacific Pacific,
The sun slowly sinking,
Looking west through the clouds.


December's short daylight,
Making room for the night,
On the lower left corner,
Of California's long coast.

The country behind us,
As we look to the west,
A few moments of wonder,
Then back toward the rest,
Because restless we are,
We turn around to progress.

Creative Leadership Great and Small

Our friend, Rolland Smith, blogged recently about people who emerge in every age and make a difference (Who I Am, December 1, 2008). They are writers and scientists, politicians and composers, athletes and actors, physicians and philosophers, leaders who influence from every field and direction; and they are you and me. I'm also reminded of a musical written for, and performed by, children called The Role Model. The show's writer and director is Cara Freedman, a talented artist from San Diego. The point of her play is that everyday heroes, our next door neighbors, local teachers and emergency workers, and many other people we encounter daily, all can make an important difference in the lives of so many. Both Rolland and Cara, in their own ways, capture the spiritual dimension of how men and women of every generation influence the world that is now, whenever now happens to be. They are the great and near great and those unheralded heroes who go about their business but make us remember something important or even motivate us to act in ways that matter.

A few years ago, I wrote about John Lennon's efforts to end the Vietnam War (last on the page so scroll down after clicking this link), and mentioned that today we have celebrities who lead, too, in consequential ways that do make a difference. I've also spent the last two years engaged in academic leadership studies through the online graduate program at Gonzaga University. So the idea of leadership resonates as a very real and practical pursuit for me and should for you, during these difficult days we face.

Most troubling during the perilous times is that for every leader who represents growth and goodness we have those who promote hatred and horror. The biblical exhortation to choose life over death, and blessing over curses, reminds us that existential choices we make and influence others to make, may seem solitary or inconsequential but can ripple or even cascade far from ourselves.

President-elect Obama introduced his national security team, yesterday, and his economic team, last week. Much has been written and said about the so called "Team of Rivals" he's assembled. More important, of course, are the abilities of each team member. Each of us, including the advisers chosen by the president-elect, must serve as a follower and also as a servant to those we lead. Our next president has not chosen an easy path for himself but it is the right path. And it can set the tone for the country, accepting difficult challenges, as each of us leads, follows, and serves.

As a business, news media outlets continue to struggle. The leadership challenge is especially relevant for newsrooms of all kinds. With the technological possibilities available today, the industry ought to be thriving. Instead, the great media companies are suffering along with banks and auto makers for many of the same reasons. Aversion to innovation and a fear of failure, along with the quick fixes of easy money with no long range plans, have wreaked havoc on these businesses. With this reckoning now a reality, opportunities will emerge. The challenge will be well served if new and creative leadership is not only accepted but is also sought. Those who run our newspapers, TV stations, networks, and online enterprises, will succeed if change is not only embraced but created, before the bottom line demands more destructive solutions. More cuts and more of the same--the old "more with less" thinking-- are band aids that will not heal the wounds.

Times to Remember

I could tell by the look on his face, something was terribly wrong. It was just after lunch at Russell Sage Junior High School, in Forest Hills, NY. We were heading to Mrs. DeBarcza’s art class when I locked eyes with Mr. Heitner, our usually cheerful science teacher. He had a look I had never seen before. As a 12 year old I could see that he was concerned for us, his students, but it was not the usual sort of student-teacher attention; it was much bigger. When I asked if everything was okay, he answered, “Just go to class. There will be an announcement in a few minutes”.

A few minutes later, our principal, Dr. Charles Tanzer, got on the PA system and told us that

President Kennedy had been shot, in Dallas, and was being rushed to the hospital. Not long after that announcement, the school dismissed us and we all went home. JFK was dead. The date was November 22, 1963.

If you are a certain age, it is a day you will never forget. Forty five years later, the memory is vivid, indelibly etched and still painful. After the assassination, television news became our national focal point. Continuous coverage replaced regular programming. We watched as a tall Texas lawman, in a white Stetson hat, recoiled helplessly as Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV. And we followed the new president, LBJ, as he took charge of a nation in mourning.

A few days later, we heard Senator Mike Mansfield describe the First Lady’s reaction at Parkland Hospital, where President Kennedy was taken, mortally wounded. He told us that Jackie Kennedy, “took a ring from her finger, and placed it in his hands”. And we watched young John Kennedy Jr. snap a salute to his father’s flag draped casket.

As we approach Thanksgiving, these memories remind us that our resilience as a nation honors those who do great things. As we remember JFK, those old enough to remember December 7, 1941 inform our lives with recollections of that time and the war that followed. And for the current generation, we will remember September 11, 2001, decades from now.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect, to give thanks and look ahead. Our current moment is perilous, even though we are not experiencing a single cataclysmic event with a specific date to recall some day. We’ve elected new leadership to guide us through our economic crisis. The trials of the months ahead will test us and require perseverance and sacrifice. The consequences of unemployment, diminished savings, and collapsing credit, profoundly affect the lives of many.

For those who gather and present the news, opportunities to tell compelling stories with real substance form the foundation of history and can rise to the level of literature. Those who are up to the challenge can serve an important role in bringing about a turnaround by informing the public and holding officials and business leaders to high standards. When news organizations do their best work they help us through difficult situations; they draw us closer as a country when we are most vulnerable. This is such a time, even if nobody is attacked, nobody is shot, and planes keep flying without interruption.

Update from August

Back on August 14th (third one down, after you click), we mentioned a young man we know, who tried to get a political piece published in a major newspaper, before the primaries began. Despite his vision and analysis, recognizing early who the eventual presidential candidates would be, no paper picked up his entry. Well, today's Wall Street Journal includes a piece by him. Well done, Robbie!

This highlighted link will take you to his article. Robbie and I disagree on who was the right choice in this election; I was for Obama. But I'm encouraged by Robbie's commitment and so many other young people who got involved.

A Way to Grow

The economic collapse that affects nearly all of us bears particular burdens for me and those like me. I am self-employed but also looking for work. During the six years that my one man consulting business was thriving, I put aside enough to get through the occasional downturns of any business cycle. As the international economic crisis grows longer and deeper, our best laid plans face new challenges. But that is how we grow, individually and as a society.

I am encouraged by Obama's election and new ways of thinking that his victory represents. Last Saturday, the group I worked with on the Obama campaign, from California's 53rd Congressional District (Central San Diego County), gathered for a victory party and celebration. This group did extraordinary work. Between dozens of phone banks and canvassing trips to battleground states, our group made a real difference.

Our group leaders gave each member of the team a gift. It is a book by Daniel Pink, called A Whole New Mind. The sub title is: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.
This resonates with a blog I wrote, months ago, about Apollo being better than Jupiter as a leadership model for the future.

Of course, life and business, relationships and commerce, present complex challenges that are seldom solved by one extreme or another. The point, though, is to allow new ways of thinking to shift to the more sensitive and enabling models, away from the winner take all, top down, command and control way of doing things. Command and control still has a place in certain situations but for many organizations it is increasingly inappropriate.

Servant Leadership is at the heart of these new approaches. In a previous blog, Fixing TV News from The Inside Out, (it's third down on the page, after you click this link) we explained this approach. My own business of TV news and internet news is suffering deep cuts and dark days of revenue challenges that displace thousands of workers. Some of it is a consequence of the overall economic situation. But it is also a reflection of doing business in old ways for far too long.

Our challenging times invite positive outcomes and offer new possibilities. With today's technology we can all be producers. Each of us can create blogs, stories, movies, and news content. The exhilarating possibilities of these moments in time encourage real growth and creativity. If Mr. Pink is correct--and I believe he is with a few caveats--the right brain future is ours to embrace.

Media Missing on Story that Matters

With Boomers and their parents aging, the media is MIA on a story that should strike fear in, and may impose financial consequences for, everyone but the very rich and the most needy.

We live in an age where aging in America creates costs that can destroy a life’s savings even when the economy is thriving. Living longer means having enough money—or assistance—to insure a safe and secure existence in our “Golden Years”. I use that gilded term because somebody I met recently derisively referred to “seniority” this way, “Golden Years, what a joke,” she said. This woman, in her late 60s or early 70s, was caring for her husband, the victim of a massive stroke. We met during the dinner hour in a nursing home in Queens. I was there because my mother was recuperating from a short illness. My mother’s stay was only a week and was covered by Medicare. But if she had required longer term care, Medicare would eventually stop.

For the victims of Alzheimer’s Disease, or a massive stroke, or debilitating cancer or heart disease, long-term care costs can wipe out a life of savings in months or a year or two. Long-term care insurance is one option but it, too, is fraught with pitfalls, problems and misunderstanding; it’s also quite expensive and doesn’t always cover what policyholders expect it to include.

The long-term care dilemma is going to be—in many cases already is—a massive problem for our society. Typically, what happens is that at some point Medicaid kicks in and takes over the payments for nursing homes or homecare. Medicaid—MediCal in California—is government insurance for those with limited income and assets. Elder law attorneys and social workers can help with “Medicaid Planning”. That nice euphemism is code for sheltering ones assets before they run out and you, or your heirs, are left with nothing. Until you have to deal with these issues, usually because of a loved one’s illness, you just hope you never have to deal with these issues. As life is extended, often well into the 80s, and not uncommonly the 90s, these issues will become more burdensome for individuals and society.

As a news story, the impending long-term care crisis barely registers. More immediate stories of this ilk include Medicare costs and Social Security problems, and the need for some form of national health care policy. Government and politicians will not tackle long-term care without more public awareness and pressure. Eventually enough people will suffer because of this lack of a clear-cut long-term care policy. In the meantime, news organizations are missing an important story that if told properly can inform and influence public policy before too many families suffer. A serious illness takes the gleam off the Golden Years but a good understanding of these issues and proper attention can salvage some of the luster.

For an editor, news executive, or reporter, this is a great story. It has real people; it mostly affects the middle class because the poor get Medicaid and the rich can afford the care; it is a story that matters and can make a difference. So instead of doing another story about dollar bills being tainted with cocaine, or genital plastic surgery and grooming, let’s cover something that really matters and can make a difference.

Covering the economics of health care requires good story-telling skills and finding engaging, human, examples to illustrate the issues. It is more difficult than police scanner news, but readers, viewers, and web surfers will pay attention if the stories are interesting and well presented, whatever the medium. During my years as a news director, whenever we covered health from the economic perspective we got a ratings spike. Properly produced and promoted you’ll get ratings (or readers or users); you will be doing a service for your community and country; and you’ll feel good about the work you’ve chosen to make your living.

A Visitor's View from Greenwich Village

So Barack closed the deal and did so in convincing fashion. Not only did he win, as we now know, it was a landslide. It seems that the politics of fear and division did not work this time. The Rove style scare game just didn't have enough traction. And the Palin gambit served only as a momentary lift once the voters discerned that she represented little more than an attractive package disguising a nearly empty bag.

As we stood in Greenwich Village the other night, all the rhetoric about real Americans vs. the urban elites seemed more surreal than ridiculous. On a beautiful autumn evening, the corner of Sixth Avenue and Bleecker Street was alive, well, and calmly going about its business, real Americans beginning the first weekend after electing the next president. Surely this sophisticated neighborhood known for tolerance and open mindedness, in a most sophisticated city, would be the sort of not so real America that the McCain campaign tried to separate from its supporters. But a rural resident with conservative values would probably be more amused than threatened on this street corner on this night.

So we go on. The red states are a bit fewer and bluer and President-Elect Obama is about to inherit the daunting task of turning around the economy and fulfilling his promise of uniting the red and blue into something I would describe as a beautiful purple. Close up, Greenwich Village will still be blue and rural Georgia will still be red. But as we pull back and attempt to soar high and see with eagles' eyes, the view below must start to blend into a united hue where we enrich each other under the leadership of the man whose white mother from Kansas and black father from Kenya gave us the gift of hope and promise.

Election Day, Finally!

The campaign of a lifetime is almost over. Walking to our local polling station this morning I noticed an interesting bumper sticker. Where I live—Coronado, CA—is mostly Republican with a large number of retired and active military. The bumper sticker on an older SUV across the street from our polling place was one of those oval shaped stickers that said: W 04. Neatly placed over the sticker was a round Obama-Biden sticker, placed so it was clear that this was a Bush voter who was not voting for McCain. We’ve also noticed that our usually Republican little town has as many—probably more--Obama lawn signs than those for McCain-Palin. This is based strictly on our own observations, clearly unscientific. It will be interesting to see how close the presidential numbers are in Coronado.

Coronado has hosted several well attended phone banks for Obama, drawing people from all of San Diego but with strong participation from Coronado itself. If Obama wins, the most interesting thing may be the number of Republicans who crossed over to vote for him. The Reagan Democrat phenomenon of the 1980s may have a 2008 version in Obama Republicans. The reasons will be different, of course. But the damage done to the GOP by W and his team clearly stings and will help re-define what that party must do in order to be relevant, again.

As stated last week, the challenge for Obama, if he makes it, will be to unite all of us. As he eloquently stated: We are not red states and blue states, we are the United States.

Whatever happens today, I will welcome the end of the campaign. Yes, it has been exhilarating and engaging. But there is so much work ahead, for whoever is elected; beginning that work cannot happen quickly enough.

The elusive idea of the great man or woman evokes a combination of hope and skepticism. The last political figure who I personally felt had the potential for greatness was Robert F. Kennedy. My initial response to him, as a much younger man, was more skeptical than hopeful. But as we watched him grow and define the late 60s in clear and eloquent fashion we saw the vision he defined as achievable and inspiring.

At this point in his career, Barack Obama is a long way from greatness. What is exciting, however, is his enormous potential. More than any other political leader since RFK, Barack has the skills, temperament, intelligence, and coalition, to become a great leader. The numbers look good for him, but we know—too well—the only numbers that really count are the votes—specifically, electoral votes. As we await the outcome of today’s election we are at one of those historic moments where everything is about to change.

Perhaps Obama’s great contribution, thus far, is that for many voters, hope is more real and deserved with this man than the normal skepticism that for too long has defined the political process. If those many voters are numerous enough to give Barack Obama and Joe Biden an electoral majority, our hope for great leadership may finally be realized. We’ll try to keep our journalist’s skepticism in balance, at least right now.

Six More Days

Off in the distance, I heard a sound,
I paused and listened, but nothing was found,
The sound grew louder, and closer, and clear,
The voices of voters without any fear,
Saying crisply and loudly our future depends,
On seeing real vision, and embracing new ends


Once upon a time is now, but just for now; next week will be the future. A new president-elect will be elected, once upon a time, next Tuesday.

Gonzo Journalism might have an heir to Hunter S. Thompson in Matt Taibbi who, as Thompson did, writes for Rolling Stone. Taibbi’s style is his own but he has the ability to cut through the noise like few others. Amidst the fear and loathing that “rear their heads” during this election, we are at one of those extraordinary moments where the United States can realize its potential in new and different ways.

Taibbi’s observations about red states—likely—turning blue, offer an explanation of what is happening beyond the obvious disaffection with Republican economic policies. True, voters tend to vote their wallets, but that is only part of the picture. The historic “now” reveals global hunger for leadership. While the US is sometimes resented—even hated—for its success, when the US struggles, as it has under George W. Bush, the world suffers along with us. If we elect Obama, he will have an unprecedented opportunity to change the world in positive and uplifting fashion. Of course, John McCain will have the same opportunities, if he wins. But as Taibbi points out, Obama’s history and path to the presidency will give him particular advantages as he re-establishes the United States of America as the leader it should be, advancing the idea and practice of freedom in substantial and meaningful fashion.

I hope our friends on the right can embrace the evolution that would be an Obama presidency. Political orthodoxies, both liberal and conservative, get us stuck. So, too, Obama will have to be more than a traditional liberal in order to succeed. His ability to bring diverse constituencies together will have to expand and grow in order for him to realize greatness. He can be the next FDR or another Jimmy Carter. My bet is that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Now, all it will take is for Barack to get elected, once upon a time.






http://www.rollingstone.com/blogs/taibbiunbound/2008/10/from-the-issue-the-death-of-a.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Taibbi

LIVE FROM NEW YORK (actually a Starbucks in Queens) IT'S IRVSEYEVIEW!

Hello, again, everybody. Too much time has passed since our last entry so here's a short update.

The IrvsEyeView travel schedule became more active recently as I've been back and forth between NY and San Diego twice, in the last two weeks. We are taking care of a few family matters, each with a good outcome, so far. And we are busy getting ready for Election Day and working to build the business.

We head back to San Diego tomorrow and look forward to getting back on track with the blog. If you're new to IrvsEyeView, check out some of the older entries and let us know what you think.

More to come, soon.

An' Negativity Don't Pull You Through (Bob Dylan)

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail —You may recognize those words as the title of one of Hunter S. Thompson’s signature contributions to Gonzo Journalism, written as he covered the 1972 presidential campaign. Too bad that it best describes the direction that the McCain campaign has taken the final weeks of this election. Check out this piece from Huffington Post. Even though our conservative friends may dismiss the source, read the substance and the quotes from respected Republicans who are appalled at the strategy McCain and Palin are using in a desperate effort to break through with voters who seem to recognize the bankruptcy (pun intended) of the GOP’s approach, except, of course, the "angry ones" eager to vent during the McCain-Palin rallies. The look and sound of the crowds, some calling for Obama’s destruction, should make any thinking and responsible supporter of the McCain-Palin ticket think again about the direction this is headed. Palin, unlike McCain, seems to encourage and enjoy the verbally violent responses that the crowds are eager to offer. McCain just looks uncomfortable, but apparently not uncomfortable enough to have his staff tone down the rhetoric and take the campaign in a more dignified direction.

The messages we are getting from the McCain camp encourage the "Us against Them" culture warfare that is all about attacking Obama as "other" or different. Among the canards circulating are that he's a Muslim, that he's a terrorist, and that his relationship with William Ayers is much more than it really is.

If this election ends with an Obama win and large gains for the Democrats in Congress, the McCain campaign's strategy will have contributed mightilly to the success of its opponent. All of those who have respect for Sen. McCain will find his legacy diminished by the hateful and divisive tone of the current campaign. Voters were not buying the "Maverick" pitch of just a week ago, and we now hear less and less of that overused and misunderstood word. Instead, the focus is now on "that one", his exotic name, past associations--however innocent--and his "liberalism".

If the McCain camp turns the tide and eventually wins there will be much written about how well going negative continues to succeed. Fortunately, however, voters seem to be rejecting the personal attacks. Probably because the economy, the war, and health care concerns, mean more than empty attacks coupled with appeals to the "base's" baser instincts. Leadership is about bringing out the best in people; demagogues do the opposite.

Week by Week

"That was the week that was; it's over, let it go."

Sung as sort of a jingle, those words were part of a 1960s era, weekly news satire program that started in Great Britain and then spawned a short-lived American version. Sometimes known as TW3, That Was The Week That Was lampooned politicians, more than a decade before the debut of Saturday Night Live.

Last week's failed bailout bill in Congress eventually passed after self-serving senators added a huge helping of pork. And then we had the highly anticipated, and widely watched, vice presidential debate. "That week", also brought us a net loss of more than 800 points, on the Dow. After all of that, letting last week "go" feels like a good thing to do. While TW3 was one of a kind, today's TV viewers can get more than a few good politically driven laughs from Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, David Letterman, Jay Leno, and the folks at SNL. SNL's "coverage" of the vice-presidential debate makes that often ridiculous spectacle seem comically sublime.

So as we let last week go, we need to keep laughing. But we cannot forget the serious business we face and our need as a nation to discern clearly how important our decision in next month's election will be, for years to come. So much is on the line. During these perilous times, our national "jokers" play an increasingly important role in determining our cultural consciousness and inject a dose of refreshing candor into the political process.

With another debate this week, and the likelihood of continuing volatility in the economy, my hope is that the desperate and personal tone of the McCain attack strategy will diminish. The only way that will happen--as unlikely as it seems--is if the Republican brain trust finds voters becoming angry and hostile to this approach. Based on the histories of McCain and Obama, the prospect of a civil, issues oriented campaign seemed possible, just a few weeks ago. Bringing Sarah Palin on board may have galvanized the Republican base, but it injected a level of culture warfare reminiscent of another time. Palin has livened things up but not really helped McCain in the polls. Thanks, in part, to the brilliant work of Tina Fey and her colleagues at SNL, Palin's presence is more punch line than presidential. Mostly, though, it reflects poorly on John McCain and the desperation driving his quest to become Commander in Chief.

We have just four weeks until election day. After four more TW3s, let's hope we're still laughing.

Winds of Washington & Wall Street

Now everything's a little upside down, as a matter of fact the wheels have stopped,
What's good is bad, what's bad is good, you'll find out when you reach the top
You're on the bottom.

from Idiot Wind, by Bob Dylan

So, Republican President George W. Bush asks Congress for a bailout plan. His Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, makes the case. Just weeks before the presidential election, John McCain “suspends” his campaign, but after the plan is revised, supports the bill that goes to the House floor. Barack Obama doesn’t like the plan but backs it, too, after he’s assured that certain conditions are met. Then the bill fails. Forgive my reiteration of the obvious, but this is so bizarre, writing it out and seeing it on the screen serve as a reality check.

During news cycles, the historic dimension of what is happening can be obscured by the volatile nature of breaking news. The scale of this financial system failure and the inability of President Bush to get his own party’s House members on board, bode ill for the rest of us. And presidential politics adds an unprecedented dimension to this strange brew. Mostly, though, we have a leadership vacuum based on Pres. Bush’s record of failure and the public's distrust. Attempts by Sen. McCain to assert leadership become counter productive because of the obviousness of the political nature of these gestures. Sen. Obama’s approach, though more rational and reasoned, fails, also, to drive the political winds in non-idiotic direction. So we are stuck with House members, all up for re-election in a few weeks, too afraid to make a move that might be perceived back home as the wrong vote.

What it will take, in the next few days, is an uncommon and extraordinary approach, a difficult task rendered even more challenging by the timing of the election. But if there is greatness lurking anywhere in the halls of the Capitol, now is the time for men and women of both parties to rise above their own self interest, and political orthodoxies, and act in ways that will keep the economy moving forward. Wouldn’t it be refreshing for John McCain and Barack Obama to join together--really together--in asking Congress to act in the best interest of the country? They are not that far apart. If they won’t, maybe it’s time for one of those George H.W. Bush/Bill Clinton TV spots urging us to work together. Inaction is not an option.

Signs of the Times

For starters, I’m a city guy. Sarah Palin’s convention speech comments, about small towns and their values, quoting a known anti-Semite though not by name, probably played well with some of the “base” that the McCain candidacy desperately needs. The problem for them is that most of the country lives in or near cities and depends on metropolitan America to fuel the economy and the culture. This is in no way meant to denigrate or disrespect the values that Gov. Palin meant to extol. The problem is, however, that to make the most of our future and thrive in the world of 2008, we need to understand our cities and how they have changed and evolved since our presidential (and vice presidential) candidates were born.


Because I spend a lot of time in New York City, not just in Manhattan but out in Queens where I grew up, I’m struck by how things have changed since I moved west, back in 1979. If you don’t know NYC, Queens is where working people live. They are transit workers, cops, firemen, teachers, laborers, among them new immigrants, lots of new immigrants, who are trying to make it in America.

For the TV news folks reading this, these new immigrants represent a part of your viewing population that is usually under served and also not well represented inside the newsrooms.

My new camera in hand, I took some pictures of my old neighborhood, in the Rego Park/Forest Hills area of Queens. The first two pictures on this page are a block apart on 63rd Drive, near Queens Boulevard. The Irish, Italian, Eastern European Jews and non Jews, Germans and other early to mid 20th Century immigrants, have been replaced by Asian, Russian, and Hispanic newcomers, eager to make it in their new homeland.

One TV station general manager I know recognized the power of this group of new viewers, their intelligence and potential. He encouraged us to understand and work for the strugglers and strivers in our community. Another GM I know, confessed, when I asked him about it during an interview, that in NYC, he had no native Russian speaker on his news staff.

In San Diego, where I have lived for 19 years, there are neighborhoods throughout the city where Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and other Asian languages are widely spoken and part of the local culture. The picture on the left is from San Diego's City Heights neighborhood. New York and San Diego are typical of many North American cities in that way. Just about any big city is home to native languages other than English. Friends I know in Toronto, Canada, proudly proclaim how that city welcomes newcomers from around the world. When Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York, he made it clear that he would gladly accept the immigrants other cities didn’t want. Of course, that was before Rudy ran for president. It was also before he denounced Barack Obama for supposedly thinking that Gov. Palin's hometown was not "cosmopolitan" enough. For those of you missing the irony of the ex-mayor of NYC ascribing big city elitism to Obama, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you might like to buy.

In this era of global economies and flat world enterprise, we are fortunate to attract the world’s ambitious and hopeful citizens who recognize the opportunity to contribute and thrive in the USA.

For those hard line opponents of immigration, perhaps you ought to reflect on the reasons we still attract men and women eager for a better life. Sometimes the only way to enter is illegally, probably not the first choice for those seeking work in the USA. Yet we do little to make the path to legal immigration more accessible. Our future and greatness as a country depend on continuing to be the best place in the world to be a refuge for

“...your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."

Those words, by Emma Lazarus, enshrined on the Statue of Liberty, resonate more eloquently, for me, than the Westbrook Pegler homage to small towns, quoted by Sarah Palin.

We need our small towns and our big cities. We are one country, big enough and strong enough, for all to enjoy the benefits of the American dream.

A Time to Jump In

During the 30 or so years that I worked in news, my personal policy was to be uninvolved in all political campaigns, no signs, no contributions, nothing supporting any candidate or ballot proposition. For most of my colleagues this practice was pretty typical and actually required by many news organizations. Now that I'm on my own it's time to jump back in. I say "back in" because twice before I've been a campaigner. When I was nine years old my mother took me to the local Democratic Club in Queens, and I handed out literature supporting JFK. In the 1970s, during a short break in my news career, I helped a friend with his state assembly campaign in Northern California.

So why now? For one thing, I don't work for a news organization or report the news; so I can. But more important is the importance of this particular election. As I've stated, fairly often in this blog, IrvsEyeView is not a political commentary; it is about culture and communication. Obviously, politics and those areas crossover in different ways. The most important reason I have decided to actively support a candidate in this election is that we have experienced a dramatic and profound shift in our national priorities during the last eight years. 9/11 was part of the picture but not the most important driver.

After a long news career you begin to get a sense about stories you cover and which stories have "legs". In the short term that means how long will it be a story. But in a more meaningful sense, it means the story will become a part of history, one that matters. It is safe to say that all presidential elections affect, and are integral to, history. This one, though, is the biggest in my lifetime.

With that in mind I spent the last weekend training to help lead local volunteer efforts for Barack Obama. I offer this information for two reasons. First, I've always believed in full disclosure. Most of you who read this blog probably figured out that I'm an Obama supporter. The second reason is to encourage all of you to get involved, even if you support candidates or ideas that are different from my own. Stand up for your beliefs by dedicating your time or your money. To paraphrase the Bible, we cannot stand idly by while blood is being spilled. Of course, the most important political act is voting and encouraging others to vote.

A FINAL WORD FOR MY FRIENDS IN THE NEWS BUSINESS

When journalists do their jobs well, they provide a service so valuable that it is protected by the Constitution. Messengers have often been confused with their message. We know, too, that candidates and advocates target the media with accusations of bias and favoritism. If you work in news, keep doing an honest job that focuses on the issues that are important. Personalities are integral to election decisions and strongly drive the way voters vote. So it's inevitable and vitally relevant that we learn about the individuals seeking our votes; who they are is a legitimate part of the story.

Journalists, today, don't only compete with other journalists across a range of media from print, to TV and radio, and the power of the web. Today, the news men and women who we should look to for truth telling, are competing against the powerful messages of political advertising, that often stretch the truth to the point of being untrue. Good journalism includes critically evaluating political advertising. Many politicians delight in criticizing the media. Sometimes those complaints are well-founded but often they are misdirected or a cynical political tactic. Ultimately, the voters have to decide who to vote for based on an array of messages that create impressions, in the context of our own experience and situations. For those of us who value ethical journalism, we are counting on good reporting that will help guide us through the competing images, personalities, issues, and rhetoric, that drive our choices at this critical point in history.

Conventions, Then, Now, and When

Welcome to those of you reading IrvsEyeView for the first time, because of the link in ShopTalk. For those of you who don’t know about ShopTalk, it’s a newsletter that chronicles the goings on in TV news. You can read it at TVSpy.com or sign up for email delivery. Formerly known as Rumorville USA, Shoptalk has been around since the early 1980s. The current editor is Tom Petner, a creative media executive and good guy. Thanks for the link, Tom!

Today’s blog comes to you from the airspace between Seattle and San Diego. We should be back in time to hear Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech. The media’s distraction with McCain’s unusual choice should slow down in the days ahead, as the novelty wears off concerning a relative unknown running for vice president, with a special needs infant son, and an unmarried pregnant teenage daughter. The media’s interest in Gov. Palin's family is appropriate but requires respectful restraint. However, if it becomes an excuse to avoid the real issues—and differences between the candidates and how they will govern—the media will have earned a failing grade.

Having watched most of the DNC and bits and pieces, so far, of the RNC, I have to wonder what coverage of the political conventions will look like, four years from now. As mentioned last week, after a very short time watching cable news coverage, I switched to C-Span. Others I know watched streaming web feeds. Almost everybody I know, who has an interest in politics or the media, has been critical of the coverage. Is the coverage really that bad? I’m afraid the answer is a qualified yes. With the limitations on time, and the focus on headline speeches, there is really no sense of being there and sharing in the ambience of the event. Instead we get a highly produced speech or two, and the predictable commentary about what it means. As mentioned previously, the local coverage I’ve seen has added real value for the viewer. Capturing the sense of our own community’s place in the national story gives perspective to the bigger picture.

I attended both the Republican and Democratic conventions in 1976, and a few more since then. The energy and excitement of being at a political convention is real and exhilarating. Certainly we should report critically and responsibly on the politics and issues. That’s not in question. But we should also capture the environment and ambiance of being in the big hall, or in Obama’s case the football stadium, during the major moments of these uniquely American quadrennial celebrations. I will never forget standing next to a fellow journalist, a reporter from Australia, during Jimmy Carter’s acceptance speech at Madison Square Garden in 1976. He turned to me and said, “we don’t have anything like this where I come from. This is fantastic”.

Watching C-Span last Thursday, with the Sheryl Crow performance building to a number of preliminary speeches and then Barack Obama’s acceptance, I got a sense of the special character of the American political convention. My hope is that as we report on future conventions, four years from now, and beyond, we continue the tradition of conveying the celebratory along with the politically significant.

A Vote for C-Span

A "brutish, slow-witted beast", is how comedian Jon Stewart describes the 24 hour cable news networks. And after attempting to watch coverage of the Democratic National Convention on all of them, I have to agree. This is nothing new. A very savvy media executive I know—my friend and former boss, Neil Derrough--observed back in the mid 1990s that “feeding the beast” of the 24 hour cable networks, will bring down the quality of journalism, across the board.

The broadcast network news operations have suffered, too. The loss of Tim Russert, Peter Jennings, and even Dan Rather (still alive but not on CBS this week), have diminished the strength of coverage substantially and noticeably. But, in all fairness, I may not be an honest judge of the coverage because, after the first night, I switched to C-Span. For a hard core political junkie, it’s the best option out there for watching the conventions. You get to see what’s going on without the editorial decisions of network—cable and broadcast—producers deciding what is important and what is not.

In many ways, local news is the better choice if you’re interested in “coverage”. At least you get a sense of what it means to the people from your state or city who are at the conventions. How the national campaigns relate to your own world is a reason to watch, listen, or read, local news coverage.

As the DNC reaches its high point tonight, and the RNC gets ready to start, I’ll continue to check in on the networks. I’ll try PBS, too, which I have not watched so far this week. But in the end, I have the feeling I will keep coming back to C-Span.

Midnight Ramblings from EWR to SAN

Trying to understand your own life requires the ability to clearly analyze the information that explains who you are. The reasons you might subject yourself to such an analysis can range from trying to find a new job to choosing a life partner. The point is not to over think every decision. But leading an examined life, as Socrates tells us, is a fundamental piece of living itself. And as we grow older, the ability to see in new ways grows, or at least our perspective becomes wider and deeper.

Struggles can make us stronger or wound us. Even wounds can heal and become sources of strength. How we respond to life’s triumphs and obstacles can define us in profound and powerful ways. It’s taken me 57 years to really understand one of my favorite Dylan lines, “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now”.

Sitting on an airplane, heading home after a week away, feels like a beginning. Physical motion fascinates. How we move, get from place to place, encompasses breathtaking technological triumph; but mostly, we take it for granted. Our world is a study in contrast. Like anything else in life, we can use technology for good or bad.

As we’ve been discussing in previous blogs, the current moment is a fertile time for creativity. In part, we’re driven by the inability of our longtime employers, television stations and networks, to find ways to use the new story telling tools for positive—and profitable—purpose. We intend to embrace those possibilities.

John and Barack's Great Adventure: Class or More of The Same

A young man I know, wise beyond his years, asked me for help with a political opinion piece, back in the dark days of January. This recent Harvard grad, now enrolled in medical school at Columbia, wanted to publish an essay about his picks for the Republican and Democratic primaries. He identified the two candidates he thought would best serve the country by running a different kind of campaign, based on issues leading to a meaningful election.

His observations and insight into why the two he had in mind would run a clean campaign were refreshing. Imagine real issues being discussed, he argued, and the personal attacks of the last two plus decades being replaced by reasoned discourse and Lincoln-Douglas style debates.

Although he submitted the piece to several newspapers and online sites for publication nobody picked it up. It turns out that he was more prescient than the professional political pundits who make their livings writing about presidential elections—at least as far as predicting the nominees. He got it right. The voters chose John McCain and Barack Obama, two men most likely to be headed for the high road, our young friend believed.

Now it seems, the candidates’ handlers are at it again, most notably McCain’s campaign boss, Steve Schmidt, a Karl Rove protégé. The sad spectacle of personal attacks will only succeed if we—the voters—let it succeed. As our young observer sensed, before any votes were cast, the public wants a different type of campaign, this time. In last week’s Newsweek (click here for the column), Jonathan Alter offers some insight into candidate McCain’s discomfort with the negative attack strategy, Schmidt is promoting. Obama has also been lured into negativity but not with such clumsy and uncomfortable effect.

We have a chance for something different. Don’t let the Karl Roves of the world rule the day. Demand that the candidates, who were chosen by us—the voters—resist the advice and conventional wisdom that says negative attacks will get them elected, but in reality will damage their own legacies and our futures. And if you’re one of our friends in the media, don’t be complicit. Demand real dialogue that will help us decide who best can lead.

Media Literate News Producers

The melding of marketing with newscasts is nothing new. As producers face shrinking budgets and limited resources, promoting commercial interests as legitimately newsworthy becomes increasingly common. The use of video news releases (VNR) and content provided by companies, and other third parties, grows. Often, producers include commercial content innocently, though they are typically naïve or negligent. Product placement has even made its way onto news sets, recently and probably not so innocently. As with most ethical issues in journalism, those who see the problem as black and white really miss the many shades of gray that are the present reality.

There’s a new television news operation in San Diego that started up one week ago. Evident to any critical viewer is the reliance on content provided by third parties. They’ve done stories on Smart Cars, various movies, and the 40^th anniversary of McDonalds, complete with stacks of Big Macs and a live shot with Ronald McDonald. My purpose is not to single out this news department but to illustrate the pressures producers face. More importantly, we need to understand what is happening and level with viewers about how these stories wind up on the news, in other words--full disclosure; we should encourage media literacy in our audience and be media literate producers ourselves.

In the interest of my own full disclosure, I spent five years developing and helping manage a video news service for The Cleveland Clinic (CC). CC is among the finest academic medical centers in the world. In addition to patient care, education is integral to CC’s mission. The produced stories and video elements that CC provided to stations could be used in a number of different ways, from turnkey turnaround of tracked packages to pulling elements for inclusion in what the station was putting together itself. As a longtime advocate for ethical journalism, my position was clear. Identify what we send; then make certain that final editorial control is with the journalists, not CC. And encourage stations that use our material to localize by talking to doctors, researchers, and clinicians, independent of CC. Within The Clinic, our unit was clearly separated from marketing; the physician CEO, who was there when we started, made it clear that our role was more in line with education than advertising or promotion.

The problem with what’s happening now is that the commercial marketing content that winds up in newscasts is often neither identified nor acknowledged as such. My wife observed that there is a generation of media consumers who don’t clearly distinguish between marketing content and news. In essence, she was saying that segments of today’s audience are media illiterate. But the problem goes deeper. Many producers are not media literate, at least not in any sophisticated fashion. Ultimately, this is a leadership issue. The imperative to set standards and explain expectations falls on newsroom managers and on the culture of the organization. In the expanding world of online journalism the need for media literate writers, producers, and editors is especially critical. The amount of content available, through aggregations sites such as thenewsmarket.com, and content delivered directly to stations by third parties, can serve as valuable resources for news organizations. The challenge is to use it responsibly, critically, and level with viewers, users, and readers, about its source and even the purpose of the provider.

Journalists who figure this out, and add this level of media literate context, will actually be doing consumers a service. The option of not using such content at all is certainly laudable, but becoming less, and less, realistic. Provide honest context and full disclosure, understand the motives of content providers, and level with viewers about how something finds its way into a newscast or web story, and be critical if appropriate. That’s a brand of news that serves the public and will keep them coming back for more.

(Final full disclosure. I consulted with thenewsmarket.com, briefly, more than two years ago.)

New Century Convergence

Back in the last part of the last decade, in the last century, the word convergence rose in prominence as new technologies tempted our imaginations to envision new ways of distributing content and making money. The last part of the last sentence is always of lasting importance; if we don’t make money, new ideas usually don’t last.

Now we are engaged in a great media war, testing whether the powers of our business models, however conceived and however dedicated, can long endure (my apologies to President Lincoln for the paraphrase). As we meet on the great battlefields of the current media wars, we have to think about the next decade, but also learn from the last. With our current convergent realities —that include portable devices as well as desktops--and younger audiences more comfortable online than almost anywhere else, perhaps looking backwards, in new ways, will help us move forward.

Suppose our starting point is now, and not 1995. Rather than find ways to push comfortable content from another century—TV as we know it—take the creations crafted for the small screens of pods and smart phones and package it for the medium to large screens of LCD and plasma sets. In order for this to work, producers who work for TV stations and networks need to provide context and quality gate keeping in order to add value to the proliferating amount of video and multimedia content being produced during the last years of the first decade of our new century. That is the task for real convergence, now and in the immediate future. The content is there and the amount available is growing and will grow even more dramatically, as prices for good cameras and editing software come down. We must find the most watchable and compelling “stories”, and then make certain that the best reach the widest audience. That approach will drive real convergence for the 21^st Century. Let me know if you’re willing to try.

Telling Hard Stories That Matter

Several friends have mentioned to me that they would like to see more frequent entries in Irv’s Eye View, not necessarily the magazine length pieces I’ve been doing every couple of months. So here it goes…

A couple of recent NY Times stories on the economy merit attention. Take a look at Sunday’s big page one piece on a woman who is suffering from the predatory practices of lenders, while admitting that she needs to take responsibility, too. The other piece is in today’s paper, on the real impact of the government’s policy in dealing with the mortgage mess. What we see in these stories is how saving the financial system trumps helping ordinary Americans. There is a clear and urgent need to prevent a collapse of the banking system and this is not to suggest otherwise or diminish the importance of these efforts. But the sad truth is that the longer term health of the economy depends on qualified buyers, and current owners, being able to pay their bills. The disturbing part of what is happening now is the lack of focus on maintaining low payments for the best credit risks, whether it is in mortgages or other loans, including credit card debt. So why is this money stuff of interest to a blogger on communication, culture and the media?

The media’s ability to miss big stories, particularly if they involve complex financial matters, requires reporters to muster the best story telling skills they have in order to properly tell those stories. This is an election year which means the stakes are high, so finding stories like Sunday’s NYT profile should have a real bearing on how we vote. As the clichéd closer might go: What happens on Wall St has impact on Main St. The media, both mainstream and new, ought to lead the way in telling these important stories and making the connections in ways that matter. The more personal, backpack style journalism is uniquely well-equipped to capture the real world meaning of the musings and missteps of politicians and economists.

So don’t miss this part of the economic story and get caught up only in the price of gas and food. Tell readers, viewers, and users that those credit card come-ons that arrive almost daily in the mail should include a skull and crossbones warning--ditto, for the low rate mortgage lies. Get out there and tell these stories. It’s already been in the NY Times so we will start to see the networks and local news folks falling in line. But this economy has been with us for more than a few months, now.

Yes, there have been many stories about people losing their homes, foreclosures and fire sales. But the story is bigger than that. With the exception of the super rich, this crummy economy hits everyone. The people who pay their bills on time, every month, are feeling the squeeze and it hurts, even if they can hang on. And Washington’s remedies fall short of helping, at least so far. The irony is that if the best credit risks were rewarded, by being allowed to pay at their current best rates, that would help the failing banks. Instead, higher rates are driving away the most reliable customers and discouraging new business. That’s no way to fix a failing economy.