WILLisms.com: The Second Mainstream Melee.

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The Second Mainstream Melee.

It's a non-blog adventure.

The Weekly Standard: "Conventional Wisdom"

Super Succinct Synopsis-

Fred Barnes points out that the mainstream media still rule.

Super Succinct Snippet-

I don't mean to diminish the alternative media. It's simply that the mainstream media is far bigger and much, much stronger--and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Talk radio, websites and bloggers don't report. They can only react to the reporting of the mainstream media.

Well, sort of. I like to believe that I report. I use primary sources. I crunch figures myself. But in the end, he's right. Ultimately, people may agree that the establishment media are biased (to the left), but they still want "hard news," and the establishment media still have a near-monopoly on providing "hard news."

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II.

The Washington Times: "Now, there's proof: Men, women different"

Super Succinct Synopsis-

New brain research shows that men and women are very different indeed.

Super Succinct Snippet-

...men have more than six times the amount of gray matter -- which controls information processing -- in their brains as women do. But females have 10 times the amount of white matter, which controls networking abilities.

Mind over matter.

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III.

National Review: "Hamiltonian W."

Super Succinct Synopsis-

Mackubin Thomas Owens believes George W. Bush's speech earlier this week was worthy of gushing praise.

Super Succinct Snippet-

I don’t know if President Bush has ever read The Federalist Papers, but the steps he is to taking to explain the policy and strategy of the United States in Iraq means that he has at long last recognized Hamilton’s principle. His speech today at the Naval Academy is as fine an example of republican rhetoric as I have heard since the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Unfortunately, the media focused way too much on the weak and predictable Democrat responses, and not enough on just how great this speech really was. But Bush never gets credit for his oratorical abilities. Many seem to prefer the caricature of a bumbling idiot who can't complete a single sentence.

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IV.

MSNBC: "Iraq suicide blasts at lowest level in 7 months"

Super Succinct Synopsis-

Could it be... that Joe Lieberman is right? Could tangible progress in Iraq be a reality?

Super Succinct Snippet-

Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told reporters that suicide bombings fell to 23 in November, which he attributed to successful U.S.-Iraqi military operations against insurgent strongholds in the Euphrates River valley west of the capital.

"Staying the course" is not just standing still, taking punishment, turning the other cheek until the bad guys exhaust themselves. The U.S. is fighting for a win-- and winning.

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The Houston Chronicle: "Houston homicides already past '04"

Super Succinct Synopsis-

Hmm. Many predictions were made about a rising crime rate after the flood of Katrina evacuees moved into Houston. Could it be that those predictions were right?

Super Succinct Snippet-

As of midnight Sunday, Houston recorded 285 homicides for the year; last year, Houston recorded 274 such deaths. Both are far fewer than the record 701 people slain in 1981....
...an analysis of the last 90 days determined that 50 percent of the slayings occurred in apartments or apartment parking lots.

....

Even before the 14 deaths over the four-day holiday, police had begun to see signs of an increase of violence in certain patrol districts, [Police Chief Harold] Hurtt said.

It should be stressed that the crime rate remains much lower than it was in the late 1970s (and the overall crime rate is still down this year from already-low levels last year), but the upward jolt of violent crime here at the end of 2005 is more than a bit troubling.

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The previous Mainstream Melee.

WILLisms.com and many other blogs sometimes focus too much on our fellow bloggers, while excluding well-done professional journalism from our posts.

The Mainstream Melee is a quick survey of five non-blog sources, coming atchya at completely random intervals. The stories are either underreported, particularly well-written, or otherwise important to the big picture. But generally there will be a theme of some kind in the choices.

Posted by Will Franklin · 2 December 2005 09:13 AM

Comments

Hopefully that will help the MSM to focus on reporting the facts and not on their own personal feelings!
(That is probably asking too much from many of the MSM though...)

Posted by: Zsa Zsa at December 2, 2005 09:34 AM

Will, you do great ANALYSIS and in the process create items that can be considered reportable as news, all of which is good.

The WORMs (Worn-Out Reactionary Media), what you call MSM, are still the people on the scene at original events, and are the first to report and put whatever spin their is to put onto news and events. They also are, with rare exception, the only ones who reach the 86% of the people who don't pay attention to the news unless they just happen to hear or see it.

That's what I hope Pajamas starts getting into original reporting somehow.

Posted by: thomas Blumer at December 2, 2005 01:13 PM

I like the new feature, Will. Another good addition to WILLisms.

Posted by: Giacomo at December 2, 2005 10:43 PM