Curated knowlege, trenchant insights & witty bon mots
Karla Homolka's attempt to have a vast blanket tossed over the Canadian news media ended in failure. An excerpt from the CTV.ca story: Justice Paul-Marcel Bellavance of Quebec Superior Court ruled Wednesday evening that granting the injunction would be a danger to freedom of the press. Jennifer Tryon, a reporter with CTV's Montreal affiliate, CFCF, was [...]
Thu, June 30 2005 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
According to a Reuters story carried by the NYT, Time magazine will hand over some subpoenaed records in the Plame case. That could spare reporter Matthew Cooper a trip to the big house. Yesterday, the judge in the case told Cooper and NYT reporter Judith Miller they faced jail within a week. An excerpt: Lawyers for [...]
Thu, June 30 2005 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
It dazzled me but didn't affect me. That would be my seven-word review for War of the Worlds. This film encapsulates everything I like and loathe about Hollywood movies — and Steven Spielberg sci-fi movies in particular. It's well-made, but predictable and kinda soulless. Let's start with the plot. While I'm quite aware that Spielberg is [...]
Thu, June 30 2005 » Film, Main Page » Comments Off
Globe and Mail reviewer Liam Lacey gives War of the Worlds three stars. Some excerpts: If you must see just one Steven Spielberg movie in a lifetime, see War of the Worlds. The movie includes so many familiar tropes and tricks from the director's career, he could probably sue himself for plagiarism. Suggested blurbs on the [...]
Wed, June 29 2005 » Film, Main Page » Comments Off
While not on the air yet, Telesur has already been dubbed by some as Al-Bolivar — a combination of Al-Jazeera and Simon Bolivar, the 19th century South American revolutionary leader. Some excerpts from the BBC story: “It's a question of focus, of where we look at our continent from,” says Mr Botero, Telesur's news director from [...]
Wed, June 29 2005 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
Democracy Now! interviewed John R. (Rick) McArthur, publisher of Harper's magazine and Jim Naureckas, editor of Extra!, a bimonthly publication of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Naureckas thinks that by protecting their sources, the NYT's Judith Miller and Time magazine's Matthew Cooper are protecting government wrongdoers. An excerpt: RICK MacARTHUR: Well, it's very disturbing. And it's [...]
Wed, June 29 2005 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
I had a few problems with tonight's speech by our great neighbor's commander-in-chief. Allow me to address them (I'm quoting from a transcript released by the Office of the White House Press Secretary): Dubya: Some of the violence you see in Iraq is being carried out by ruthless killers who are converging on Iraq to [...]
Wed, June 29 2005 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
As U.S. President George W. Bush takes to the airwaves tonight to give an Iraq war pep talk to his increasingly dubious nation, another British memo comes out. An excerpt from the Washington Post story: In the spring of 2002, two weeks before British Prime Minister Tony Blair journeyed to Crawford, Tex., to meet with [...]
Tue, June 28 2005 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
Karla Homolka is reportedly seeking an extremely broad court in order to stop the news media from reporting about her. An excerpt from the CP story carried on CTV.ca: The conclusions are vast,'' (lawyer) Mark Bantey said Tuesday. “Essentially, I think she's asking us to stop writing about her altogether.'' Bantey, who will represent several [...]
Tue, June 28 2005 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
Media writer Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post offers these thoughts on the prospect of the NYT's Judith Miller and Time magazine's Matthew Cooper going to jail. I also link to some other stuff. From Kurtz: In terms of public opinion, of course, this is a terrible test case for journalists. The Plame leakers are [...]