• Home
  • About me: Jim Fitzpatrick
  • Contact

JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« KC Star President and Editor Mike Fannin appears to be in deep legal — and personal — trouble
Mike Fannin hanging on; politics rattling the foundation of the ATA »

Let’s take the roll; class is about to come to order.

June 11, 2022 by jimmycsays

Okay, students, journalism class is now in session.

No belching, farting or carbonated drinks. I can tell you students from experience that carbonated drinks in the classroom can be a problem. Once, in a post-graduate class, I spilled a bottle of soda and spent 15 minutes running to the restroom for paper towels while the teacher did his best to ignore the debacle on the far side of the room.

Also, put those phones away. No! I said away! Not on your desks…in your pockets or purses.

Okay, now we can begin.

Today we’re going to dissect a news analysis written by Peter Baker, one of The New York Times’ top reporters.

Everybody likes a dissection, right, whether it’s a frog or a news story?

We’ll be talking about Baker’s Friday-morning analysis of the U.S. House committee’s hearing the night before on the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Now, we all know, right, that you’ve got to get the reader’s attention right up top?

Baker does that beautifully with his first paragraph…

In the entire 246-year history of the United States, there was surely never a more damning indictment presented against an American president than outlined on Thursday night in a cavernous congressional hearing room where the future of democracy felt on the line.

Note the two adjectives, “damning” and “cavernous.” The first lends gravity to the charge against the former president; the other transports you into the hearing room momentarily.

In the second paragraph, Baker advances the theory that “the future of democracy” might be on the line…

Other presidents have been accused of wrongdoing, even high crimes and misdemeanors, but the case against Donald J. Trump mounted by the bipartisan House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol described not just a rogue president but a would-be autocrat willing to shred the Constitution to hang onto power at all costs.

If, for some reason, you glided over the first paragraph — and I don’t know how you could — Baker grabs you by the throat with Paragraph 2.

Moving ahead, what exactly did Trump do that could be viewed as attempting to shred the Constitution? Baker explains…

According to the panel, he lied to the American people, ignored all evidence refuting his false fraud claims, pressured state and federal officials to throw out election results favoring his challenger, encouraged a violent mob to storm the Capitol and even signaled support for the execution of his own vice president.

At that last phrase, even though you knew the situation was bad on Jan. 6, you’re inclined to exclaim, “What — support the execution of the vice president?”

Then, Baker introduces Liz Cheney, the lead Republican on the panel, describing her “unwavering” prosecution of Trump and repeated her withering, seminal quote…

I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone but your dishonor will remain.

Those words could hardly have been more damning if a sonorous voice from above had broken the clouds with them.

Baker then takes a step back and gives the hearing a striking contrast by quoting a pre-hearing, social-media post by Trump in which he said, “January 6th was not simply a protest, it represented the greatest movement in the history of our Country to Make America Great Again.”

Switching back to the hearing, Baker acknowledges that the damning indictment delivered by the select committee probably will not move public opinion very much. “With a more fragmented media and a more polarized society,” he said, “most Americans have decided what they think about Jan. 6 and are only listening to those who share their attitudes.”

Nevertheless, he points out that one person who had to be paying close attention, Attorney General Merrick Garland, holds the power to bring charges against Trump.

That set up Baker’s kicker. Even if Garland did not bring charges and the select panel’s hearings turned out to be Trump’s only days in court…

“Ms. Cheney and her fellow committee members were resolved to make sure that they will at least win a conviction with the jury of history.”

**

There, students, you have a seasoned journalist capturing the depth, breadth and historical significance of an event that lived up to its high expectations, proving to be momentous.

…Okay, the bell’s about to ring, so get your things together, and I’ll see you next Tuesday. And remember, keep those phones away when you’re in this classroom!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments

12 Responses

  1. on June 11, 2022 at 12:02 pm John Altevogt

    No, it’s a pathetic advertorial that ignores the basic trampling of civil liberties since the left decided on this Stalinist show trial. Where is any semblance of due process? Where in the leftist media is any outrage at the way Peter Navarro was treated, or Roger Stone or any of the dozens of political prisoners held in the DC concentration camp without bail?

    Leftists can set cities on fire and Kamala and her pals raise bail for the rioters (if any is asked) without a word of condemnation from these media hypocrites. So, while you may have enjoyed the broadcast, I was recalling the record high prices at the pumps, the poorly stocked shelves and rising prices at the grocery store while I watched the cat lick its ass. Fuck Joe Biden and Fuck Peter Baker for his ignorance of basic American jurisprudence ;-)


    • on June 11, 2022 at 1:19 pm Julius Karash

      John, which of these points do you dispute?

      According to the panel, he lied to the American people, ignored all evidence refuting his false fraud claims, pressured state and federal officials to throw out election results favoring his challenger, encouraged a violent mob to storm the Capitol and even signaled support for the execution of his own vice president.


  2. on June 11, 2022 at 12:17 pm Tom Coleman

    Bravo Jimmy!
    How many credits do I get for this class?
    Tom Coleman


    • on June 11, 2022 at 1:08 pm jimmycsays

      Six credits, Tom…That pushes you over the top for your PhD. Congratulations.

      Altevogt, on the other hand, is my most wayward, incorrigible student. On the plus side, he’s attentive in class and seethes silently.


  3. on June 11, 2022 at 12:39 pm CHUCK MORRIS

    The above proves what Baker said: We’re in a polarized society that has already decided what to think and who to listen to…Ignore the evidence, John, and join the damned in history.


  4. on June 11, 2022 at 1:30 pm Mike McDonald

    Praise the wordsmithing, if you will, but at least recognize the bias. The students in your fantasy class would be ill served by your analysis.


  5. on June 11, 2022 at 4:24 pm John Altevogt

    I will give you every point if you’ll just step back with me and look at first principles. November is not going to be kind to you, and I can think of all sorts of things to investigate Obama, both Clintons and the Biden crime family for. Or consider Schumer’s poorly chosen comments about Kavanaugh in light of the assassination attempt on his life. The possibilities are endless for recrimination, and I would not support them either.

    History does not look kindly on regimes that persecute their predecessors and political opponents, well deserved or not. This is a show trial. It is an insult to due process. Serious prosecutions are undertaken by attorney’s, not former ABC producers. It’s a disgrace and every episode they broadcast makes Trump all the stronger. Even the satirical Babylon Bee site is now suggesting that maybe January 6th wasn’t such a bad idea.

    The lesson that should be learned journalistically is that procedural red flags were flying for anyone willing to look and this bozo chose to wallow in dicta instead.


    • on June 11, 2022 at 4:40 pm Julius Karash

      We’re going to have to agree to disagree on this, John. Have a good weekend.


      • on June 11, 2022 at 7:51 pm John Altevogt

        You too my friend.


  6. on June 12, 2022 at 8:17 am Vern Barnet

    Hey, teacher! Thanks for a paradigm of great journalism — reporting and writing. Thanks for offering Baker as a superb model. But I wonder if the nation needs something more.

    Rarely, except in the candy “Conversation” of Gail Collins and Bret Stephens, do we get genuine debate (and Gail and Bret often bounce around from agreement to agreement). The PBS News Hour may present paired GOP-DEM interviews, and papers offer significant opinion articles, but seldom are there routine real debates between opponents. Why can’t journalists, electronic or print, shame Liz Cheney and Kevin McCarthy into a such a contest? Or am I falling into the trap of “equivalence,” giving “falsehood” the respect that should be given only to “truth”? But is there a better way to explore truth in political questions than transparent debate, engaging the public, presented by faithful journalists?

    And I mean real debates on specific propositions such as “Donald Trump is responsible for the Jan 6 insurrection,” with pro and con and rebuttals, not questions about various subjects from moderators.

    Maybe the future will give us a legal trial, a form of debate, on this proposition. Congress seldom offers more than talking points. Is there any way the Fourth Estate can expand its service to democracy by grabbing the attention of, and pulling together, a readership or audience of the several factions of the electorate, as opposing sports teams bring together their respective supporters (such as some of the respondents to your class–Stalinist show trial v. bipartisan hearing) in a single area where a fair testing can be presented?


  7. on June 13, 2022 at 11:25 am Bill Barnhart

    Thanks for these comments. I am wondering, although not related to this, if you saw the 60 Minutes broadcast last night about the newspaper industry. I know it is something you are really passionate about. May have been a repeat broadcast.


  8. on June 14, 2022 at 11:06 am Edward E Scott

    “It is a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word.”

    ― Andrew Jackson



Comments are closed.

  • Pages

    • About me: Jim Fitzpatrick
    • Contact
  • Archives

    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 563 other subscribers

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC
    • Join 563 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: