Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Murdoch media empire is in full damage-control mode. But the pain and revelations keep on coming. As employees realise that self-preservation trumps loyalty, more and more spills into public view. How will it end?
"The Murdoch scandals are turning into a first-class disaster for the prime minister, David Cameron, and his party, while so far leaving Labour intact." It didn't have to be like this but Cameron's moral blindness has made it so
"It doesn't stop. Won't stop. Can't stop. Rupert Murdoch is going to be run out of Britain. His is a worst-case scenario: A powerful political opposition moving against him, and a chain of evidence moving toward him"
First column of "The Fox Mole", giving an insider's view of working life at the TV channel. Enjoyable mainly for the pre-interview footage of Mitt Romney telling Sean Hannity about the horses he and his wife love to ride
A mere slip of a piece, and yet its commentary on war, and war reporting, is worth more than many longer ones. "May I ask you, I said, are you a Muslim or a Croat? And the answer he gave me still shames me as it echoes in my head"
If you want to raise awareness in good cause, can you risk telling lies and partial truths? How far should you go in simplifying and exaggerating the arguments? Reflections on Mike Daisey, Kony 2012, and Gay Girl In Damascus
Murdoch has been tweaking the British government's tail over Scottish independence and is now remarkably matey with Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond. He does love to back a winner, but what is going on here? Revenge?
Overview of Economist's writing on China since 1843. Wrong on Boxer rebellion, right on opium trade. Coverage in 19C "hindered greatly by the fact that The Economist relied heavily on the Foreign Office" for information
A very nice guy who makes very nasty ads. This is Larry McCarthy, master of the negative TV ad, now working for Romney Super PAC. Shredded Dukakis. Did for Gingrich in Iowa. What counts is what works, not what's true
Four bosses in four years; a litany of self-inflicted wounds; criticised for its journalism by both left and right. But still listened to by 27m people. This is NPR, the US enterprise formerly known as National Public Radio
"Bloomberg the company is not all that well known beyond Wall St; its expansion has managed to be both subtle and seismic, and could fundamentally alter not just the kind of news Americans get but the events in the news themselves"
Enjoyable review of book on half a century of British satirical magazine, Private Eye. "For its unrivalled contribution to keeping the nation's candidates for public admiration on their toes, we should remain very grateful"
Photo by Raymond Depardon
"It has been wrong on every single major economic judgment over the past quarter century"
