Saturday, January 17, 2009

Behind the News

This might just be the first interesting/useful piece written by Ann Davies on US Politics
By 8.45 pm, when we arrived back around the corner with Lola's brother Ben and father, Tom, Lola's texting had rounded up about 12 excited kids, plus a few adults
Then suddenly they were talking into their microphones and car lights came on. The front door opened and there he was, silhouetted against a shaft of light. It was too much for Lola. "We love you Obama," she yelled as the other kids began cheering and clapping.

"Hey, guys," replied the most famous voice in the world. "See ya."


That said, I really dont think the paper is getting it's money worth. I dont want to just bash one journalist, (thats the easiest sport in blogging and usually a petty one), but I am constantly amazed at how badly the Australia Print Media is at reporting on US Political news. The TV camera's get it right, copying good footage right from the cable shows, within hours of them running it. But the print media seems to lag a good 2 days behind the US. Even this piece by Anne Davies is reporting a dinner that occurred around Midday Wednesday Australian time (8:30pm in Washington = 12:30pm in Canberra). Yet its taken 3 days for the story to get into the paper.

Why ?

Any reporter with 45 minutes and an internet connection could turn in a regular story on the US for the next mornings paper. Yet during the US election I essentially banned myself from Australian print coverage of it, for its tardiness and lack of insight or great knowledge about the events (again not to pick on Anne Davies, but her presence in Washington isn't improving her coverage over anyone with an internet connection at least until todays little story). I think the Australian Media usually gets a bad wrap, despite doing a pretty solid job. But its coverage of US politics, pretty much the epicenter of world events and currents (the GFC if nothing else proves the rule that when the US sneezes the world catches a cold) is absolutely abysmal.

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