Sunday, July 31, 2005

Power-full-of-it

Remember the schoolyard bully who was so scared and insecure that he went around hitting all the other kids to prove his strength?

During my last few sessions of aimless channel surfing, I've landed on Fox News for a few minutes. I heard one phrase repeated multiple times: "The most powerful name in news."

Since when does "power" have anything to do with the objective reporting of news? How is the adjective "powerful" manifest in a news organization, and how do viewers benefit? Did that slogan replace "fair and balanced" when people began to understand what this outfit is all about?

Another example: Powerline, which I seem to remember reading was named "blog of the year" by someone or something. Exactly what does "power" have to do with a blog, of all things? Do the writers fantasize from behind their keyboards that they're in charge of something really powerful, like an aircraft carrier or a nuclear sub? The USS Powerline, maybe?

Of course, when you're churning out kneepadded, semi-literate nonsense like this, you'll risk "protesting too much" to convince people that you've got game. That's where muscle-flexing words like "power" come in; veracity and honesty (and good writing, apparently) are too threatening.

Language---and the context in which it is used---often reveals more in terms of the user's insecurities and self-perception than the actual message he's trying to communicate.

24 Comments:

Blogger Lew Scannon said...

Yes, I find that people who use "pro-active" names are actually quite the opposite of how they describe themselves. Fair and balanced? The Most powerful name in news?
Perhaps power is just the new millenium superlative hyperbole for extreme. Use it enough and there's another word that has lost it's meaning, making it harder for us to communicate with each other.

7/31/2005 5:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rupert Murdoch was on CPAN the other day giving a speech at some Press event about the future of journalism. It was interesting. I thought here is a man that has done more to harm the journalism profession than anyone I can think of; but I still can't believe Sun Myung Moon owns the Washington Times.

I think most normal peoples' expectation of journalism is to inform and keep abreast of the important issues that impact our lives today and tomorrow. Are there any quality mainstream financial journals that really care about the readers financial success in the long-term? Forbes, Fortune, Money are all bad for your financial health.

The problem is the corporations have a different mission/objective, but they don't come out and say it.

I would say that true journalism is in a crisis and at a critical turning point. They can either decide that the profession is nothing more than rag gossip and innuenods, or that it can be a quality product that is researched to inform and report on issues that affect our lives.

Everyone I talk to hates the news and they don't know who to trust. I can't believe there isn't a market for a good journal.
But I'm getting a sneaky suspicion that many people only want news that coincidence with their beliefs. They aren't interested in "THE" truth or facts. They just want to "feel" good or justified. This is really sad and scary.

I don't care if there are rags, which includes Fox. I just wish they came with a warning so I don't waste my time thinking I'm getting news and it turns out to be gossip and innuendos.

I have a number of issues which I think are important that are not covered in the media. I think we should create a site, called the peoples journal or news or paper. Anyone can list a topic (i.e., "peak oil"), and the people research and report on it themselves, in a group. Since the material is read by many, it has the ultimate peer review, thus hopefully keeping out the political propaganda and biases. I'm not sure why the networks or major publications aren't doing that already. They could assign topics to their journlists who act as the lead project manager, and eventually the subject matter could be part of a TV news program.

7/31/2005 6:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

GREAT post TCR.

7/31/2005 6:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've wondered the same thing when I've heard that phrase on FNC before. It stands out, and not in a good way.

7/31/2005 8:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A bad odor can be "powerful."

7/31/2005 11:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well considering the audience of Fox and Powerline the use of the word "power" and it's variations is not surprising at all. It is a very muscular word that makes watchers of Fox and readers of Powerline feel powerful themselves just by proximity. Does it actually mean anything beyond that - no.

8/01/2005 9:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

as i read that link i could taste my breakfast coming back up. honestly one of the most disgusting things i have ever read in my life.

and as to the idea of a communal news source, i am pretty confident that we're moving along that path already with the downfall of mass media and the rise of the blogospere. Of course the PNAC wants to be able to "control and police the international commons of the internet" but as long as we keep our guard up they wont be able to silence any detractors.

8/01/2005 11:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

as i read that link i could taste my breakfast coming back up. honestly one of the most disgusting things i have ever read in my life.

and as to the idea of a communal news source, i am pretty confident that we're moving along that path already with the downfall of mass media and the rise of the blogospere. Of course the PNAC wants to be able to "control and police the international commons of the internet" but as long as we keep our guard up they wont be able to silence any detractors.

8/01/2005 11:14 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, Fox is wired in with those in power, it's their official TV mouthpiece, and like typical sycophants and courtiers they like basking in a little bit of the residial glow.

I think one of the smarter rhetorical ploys of the republican party is to let little guys and small time losers feel like they're part of something big. Something that wins. They can watch Fox and listen to Hannity and vote Bush and stick it to the liberals who are ruining everything. And they can be a winner too if they drink the koolaide.

8/01/2005 11:20 AM  
Blogger Chris Arndt said...

leftists hate the mere mention of power...

Normal people recognize a fun word, alluding to energy, and move on.

You guys are one of the above and certainly not the other.

8/01/2005 1:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do they have the power not to abuse it?

8/01/2005 3:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

" leftists hate the mere mention of power...

Normal people recognize a fun word, alluding to energy, and move on."

ah, the absurdist, bifurcated, innocent world of the right. try reading either of these sentences, or any of the clauses even, without laughing out loud at this sad, mangled attempt at profundity.

oh, i shouldn't implicate the whole right with the creation of such nonsense. but that post is plain funny!

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