Program scripts from week of February 24, 2013
My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, radio, the movies and more. I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View from the Phlipside.
Lines Not to Cross
I had not planned on doing anything with the Oscars this week other than note that I think they’re overrated for picking “the best” each year. Then when I woke up on Monday I heard about the fiasco with the satirical web site The Onion and Best Actress nominee Quvenzhane Wallis. And it just wouldn’t let me alone.
If you have somehow managed to not hear about it the folks at the parody website were doing some live tweeting during the broadcast. For reasons that remain obscure to me they chose at one point to use a derogatory word for a woman which I can’t even hint at here for the 9 year old actress. The Internet yelled and screamed and the tweet was taken down in an hour. The following day the CEO of the online satire site published an apology.
Now I’m generally a fan of The Onion. While I’m sorry that they made such a bonehead mistake they handled it the way it should have been handled. Take down the tweet and apologize. What really puzzles me has been some of the reaction to those decisions. Because some people are outraged that the CEO didn’t stand behind the original post.
Let me get this straight. A nasty, derogatory, misogynist term is used (which is bad enough on its own) against a NINE year old and some of these mouth breathing morons don’t have a problem with that. They bring up all kinds of adult examples and say “Why aren’t you outraged by these?”. Well the reality is that I don’t much like those examples either but that misses the point. This is a NINE YEAR OLD CHILD.
Seems some folks thought she came off a little full of herself. Let’s see - she’s nine, in an original Armani outfit and she’s been nominated for a Best Actress in a Leading Role Oscar at age nine. If there was ever a moment in someone’s life to be a little full of yourself that is probably it. But even with that there is no justification for the word that was used. Not for an adult and especially not for a child.
The greatest failing of the Internet is that it makes narcissists of us all. We fall into the trap of believing that anything we say is profound or clever or witty. Far more often they are snarky, shallow, ill informed and cruel.
Even satire should have lines over which you dare not pass.
Future of Journalism
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away I got started in the media world in the world of journalism. Back in the day when you got started in radio at Edinboro you started by doing the news. I did news when I got my first job in commercial radio as well. There was no way I was going to spend my life as a journalist (I’m just not designed for that life) but my roots are firmly grounded in journalism. Because of that I have always been a little more focused on that side of the media. Which is why I’m growing ever more disturbed by what I see in that arena.
There’s a couple things. First of all in sports journalism many of the professional sports leagues are trying to control their media exposure to a greater and greater degree. If you’ve ever read your ticket you’ll notice that by purchasing the ticket you give up ownership of the photos, videos and audio recordings you may make at the event. Well journalists are finding that the sports organizations like the NBA, NFL, NCAA and NASCAR are trying to do the same thing. Journalists are now finding those leagues want them to sign over the copyrights to all their work as well. Additionally they are asking journalists not to post more than 3 pictures, not to tweet or broadcast during the event. Somewhere along the line the distinction between publicity and journalism seems to have gotten a little vague.
That’s not the only place. Indiana University last summer announced it was thinking about merging its independent Journalism school with the Communications and Media department. Now there are lots of places that do it that. What stood out for me in this discussion was the comment by the University President Michael McRobbie who said, and I quote,
“There’s no point in saving a school that trains people to manage fleets of horses if the motorcar has taken over horse-drawn transportation.” That’s one of the more profound instances of missing the point.
Journalism is more than the medium that conveys it. It has survived the shift from print only to radio then to television. Journalism will also survive the shift to new media as well. Just as long as those entrusted to teach it continue to understand it and those they teach continue to fight for it.
Oscars? Who Cares?
I write and record these programs usually the weekend before they air. This sometimes leaves me short when it comes to comment on events like Sunday night’s Oscar awards. I will occasionally cheat and record a program on Monday morning to include the event. I probably would have done that for this year’s Oscars except for two things.
First I’ve only seen one of the movies nominated. So it’s hard to have an intelligent opinion.
Second, and most importantly, I heard an interesting question last week. Why should we care about the Oscars? That was a question that stopped me dead.
Why should we care?
The process of winning an Oscar amounts to winning enough of the votes of the 6,000 eligible members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. That doesn’t always lead to objective, scientific results. Like 1976 when “Rocky” beat out “Taxi Driver”, “All The President’s Men” and “Network”. I love “Rocky” but seriously?
And we can’t say that commercial success helps you. Looking at the Box Office Domestic numbers “Lincoln” was the most successful movie of the nominees finishing 19th, “Argo” was 25th, “Life of Pi” at 32 and “Django Unchained” was 39th. The other 6 nominees finished outside the TOP 50! Now some folks will point out that a lot of these movies debuted late in the year so gross box office isn’t a fair standard. OK fine. But these are supposedly the best movies of 2012 shouldn’t we be judging them by their performance in that year? Apparently not.
So what we’re left with is a popularity vote only by insiders who are deluged (as much as the rules allow) by campaigns from the studios. And their track record is just odd enough to make you wonder.
If you want to watch the Oscars as a celebration of the movie industry go for it. It’s great for doing just that. But just remember that Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock never won one in their primary category.
Draw what conclusions you may
Call that the View From the Phlipside
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