Complaining that the front page of The New York Post is offensive is like complaining that dogshit smells. It's obvious, everybody knows it, and it's never going to change.
Thirty-eight people were killed in violence in Iraq yesterday. What's on the front page of the Post? Michael Jackson and the Runaway Bride.
What gets me most is not just that they willfully direct readers away from the important news of the day toward Bennifer or the latest Monical Lewinsky sighting, but that they vulgarly editorialize the headlines. The big, bold text under the photograph of Michael Jackson says, "Sweat, Freak."
I'm not going to defend Michael Jackson; I think he's obviously troubled. But labeling him a "freak" on the front page of a widely-read publication is cruel; plus it seems like they're rooting for a guilty verdict. That's just coarse and tacky.
To their credit, though, I have to confess that the crack newsteam at the Post did put to rest a question that had been keeping me awake for years now: does Saddam wear boxers or briefs?
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4 comments:
They're scum, barely above the National Enquirer.
Their Michael Jackson comments/headlines are irresponsible. We all have opinions on him, but responsible journalists would let the justice system take its course.
Scandalous and semi-offensive/envelope-pushing headlines sell papers and increase circulation. Higher circulation rates generate more advertisers. More ads mean more money. There's the simple truth. At base, The Post isn't about journalistic integrity, nor is it even about a propagation of a certain political viewpoint (even though that is the charge generally leveled against it and is actually the main thrust of another higher-profiled NYC-based daily publication...). It's about making money. If there happens to be some news in there and it happens to push a right-side biased politic, so much the better. But the bottom line is simply its bottom line. Nothing more, nothing less.
Just as other industries are supposed to balance profitability and responsibility, journalists should weigh these factors carefully in deciding where to put their emphasis.
The NY Post is trash. And being of french descent, their utter hate for french people makes me sick. To bad they didn't fold for good years ago like they should have.
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