OH PULLLLEEEEEEZ!
Is The Washington Post really writing this ridiculous story?
In my experience as a daily newspaper reporter, I came to realize very quickly how important — and challenging — it was (and is) to find crackling and insightful stories on deadline, especially when a million news-thirsty journalists are competing for the best breaking news.
Finding good stories — that actually tell you something you didn’t know — that’s what good journalism is all about. Breaking stories is a kind of talent, not unlike say figure skating or skiing or surfing, none of which I have ever even tried. But I think for the years I worked in newspapers I was pretty good at coming up with new angles and interesting feature stories.
Just over 24 hours after the stunning announcement — Biden steps out of the race, Kamala steps in — I can imagine, I can just picture in my fiction-obsessed brain, what’s going on in the frenzied news factories like The Washington Post and all the other major newspapers (and minor ones) across the nation.
But the fact is, when this SILLY headline popped up in my Inbox a couple of hours ago, I was not only astonished. I actually started laughing. I mean who in God’s name needs to read the article — called “ANALYIS” — bearing this headline: “The Remarkable Contrast between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.”
Oh PULLLEEEEEZ. I laugh every time I look at those words. Is there anyone alive today who isn’t already painfully aware of the enormous distinction between these two candidates?
As one Kamala video, which is flying around the internet as fast as the Covid virus does, is boasting in a deep booming voice:
“She prosecuted sex predators…”
“He is one.”
BTW this video is one helluva good campaign tool for Kamala!
Each of us who has been following the race could no doubt speak to the remarkable contrast. How long would it take you to make a quick list of the disgusting traits of the man who will remain nameless (pleae see an earlier Substack.) Is there really a need for any half-way informed American to read this Post piece?
No. Of course not.
But now that I (may) have your attention, I want to share with you some wonderful insights on this fast developing campaign, a campaign that I believe may end up providing us with the first woman President, and not only that, the first Black woman President.
The analysis comes from the same news operation, the distinguish Washington Post. And the analysis is from no less than David Axelrod, Former Senior Adviser to President Obama. As a young reporter, I worked in the same Chicago newspaper business that David Axelrod once did. It was 1980 or so, I was in my late 20s, hellbent on doing investigative journalism (because I matured during the Watergate years.)
I was covering environmental news for The Chicago Sun-Times and in the end, my team of reporters was nominated for a Pulitzer for our expose of all the horrible places that chemical companies and other businesses dumped their toxic wastes across Illinois.
David Axelrod, meanwhile, was the extraordinarily sharp political reporter at The Chicago Tribune. He was a close friend of my dear friend Karen ( another Sun-Times reporter) and her husband (another Trib reporter.) So I know first-hand how savvy, principled and brilliant Axelrod is.
To the Washington Post’s credit, they hosted Axelrod this afternoon in a live interview, which I felt privileged to watch.
Here, now, I realized, this is what REAL journalism is all about: providing insight and analysis by one of the great political strategists of our time. A man who helped elect Barack Obama our first Black President.
What David Axelrod — Ax to his friends and readers — writes or says or thinks, that in my humble opinion is Analysis with a capital A.
And if there were ever a day when we need REAL INSIGHT and KEEN ANALYSIS today is that day. Going forward it will be essential.
What follows in the next post will be a quick summary of the highlights of the Q&A between the young female reporter who is about the same age I was when I had the great good fortune to work in Chicago journalism.
Stay tuned! And if you got this far in the column, heavens, thanks so much for reading!