I heart Eat the Press

(updated with links)

(updated with yet another link)
I meant to post this mash note yesterday, after I read two or three outstanding posts on Eat the Press, about which more later. Then I forgot.***

This is the best disclosure statement I’ve ever read (preceded by the necessary setup):

NB: [new Village Voice film editor Allison] Benedikt moved [to New York] this summer with her husband, Radar senior writer John Cook. For those who may wonder, Benedikt is a graduate of the University of Michigan. Requisite disclaimer: I wrote this month’s Voice cover story on Saturday Night Live; Voice editor-in-chief David Blum is a HuffPo contributor, as is Reeler founder Stu VanAirsdale; I have a jolly email relationship with Cook and have warmly corresponded with Benedikt. But, I hate movies.

Reading it today reminded me why I wanted to post my valentine to Eat the Press yesterday. It’s got the best selection of stories (across a broad range of subjects, from very serious to deeply unserious but seriously amusing); the sharpest eye for inconsistencies in words and deeds; great headlines; and pretty serious, non-partisan criticism (as in analysis) of the media.

For example, there was this excellent piece—”The New Most Dangerous Man in Iraq“–a critique of Newsweek’s recent breathless storytelling-style framing: two weeks ago Abu Daraa was the “bogey man”; now it’s al-Sadr. [emphasis in original]

This would be a great time to look back at those Zarqawi questions and take a gestalt look at the cycle of violence in Iraq but instead Newsweek just focuses on a one-man enemy in a country where clearly there is a whole lot more to the problem. Again, as stated above I am not disputing that al-Sadr is every bit as dangerous as Newsweek claims (this week), but after the splashy, showy coverage of Zarqawi’s death it seems critical for the news media not to fall into the trap of speculating forward without looking backward.

A final point: This may be criticism but it goes hand in hand with appreciation for Newsweek’s correspondents and all the other media outlets who have reporters over there getting these stories (take a look at the list of contributors at the bottom of the story from Baghdad to Amman to Beirut to Cape Town) — we depend on then for this information, and are appreciative of what it’s costing to get it. But it’s precisely because we’re depending on them for the information that it’s so important that they provide it with context. Otherwise we’re depending on Tony Snow. And that’s probably not ideal, either.

I couldn’t agree more, because context is everything.

Bravo, Rachel Sklar, for underscoring this point. [I'm assuming this was written by Rachel Sklar. My one quibble with ETP is that we don't know who writes of the unsigned pieces. Am I missing something?]

This Borat story is good, too.

There are two interesting issues raised by the LAT’s article on how the Borat lawsuits will affect the Bruno movies. One is how the Borat lawsuits will affect the Bruno movies. The other is how the LAT misleadingly titles some of its articles. …

Interesting questions, but all hypothetical, as the LAT itself confirms: “Universal declined to comment for this story, but studio officials have indicated they plan to move forward with “Bruno.” Yet they still stated that Borat “could mar” the deal. This implies that the deal is in danger, a suggestion which is wholly unsupported by the facts in the article.

By the way, the long knives are out for Sacha Baron Cohen. Most amusing is Joe Queenan’s rage on behalf of all the Americans Baron Cohen supposedly attacked in his film—particularly those Americans in Queenan’s crowd:

Similarly, most of the people who have made Borat such a monstrous hit were young men. But eventually the women will be heard from, and a lot of them will not be fawning Baron Cohen groupies. To the women I know, when you ridicule redneck racists, you are a hero. But when you go out of your way to humiliate middle-aged feminists and harmless socialites and hapless hotel employees and office workers on their lunch breaks, and use plump black women as a running sight gag, you expose yourself not as an iconoclastic wit, but as a pig.

And here’s George Saunders in the New Yorker:

Dear Ken:

Got your note, deeply honored. Being new to the company, really appreciate opportunity to outline some ideas for “Borat” DVD. As Josh mentioned, we do indeed have a wealth of footage that could be put to good use as DVD extras. In other cases, have taken liberty of suggesting some reshoots:

OPENING “VILLAGE” SECTION: How about a high-speed montage of the actual difficult, brutal lives of the villagers in Romania—the hours of debilitating toil, their oppression at the hands of their corrupt government, premature loss of teeth, death of infants, etc., etc.—culminating in a panning shot of the village on the morning of the day when they first realize they’ve been had, and that, as far as posterity goes, they will always be remembered, if remembered at all, as savages, rapists, prostitutes, etc., and they stumble out of their little sheds or whatever, looking traumatized? (Would be good if one or two could fall into depression/commit suicide as a result = confirmation of their “subhuman” status? Rich social commentary.)

——

*** I forgot because since I lost access to my Furl archive, I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out where to store items I might want to post about. I’ve got bookmarks scattered all over the place. Aaaaargh.