Sunday March 24, 2019; 2:37 PM EDT
Before Walter Cronkite did an hour special saying the Vietnam War was unwinnable, press coverage was pretty much re-written press releases from the Pentagon. Cronkite's observation, that the war was unwinnable, turned press coverage in a different direction. The question of whether or not we should be in Vietnam was now something they could ask, and did. #- We're in a similar situation now. People are covering climate change and Trump as if the normal rules of journalism can deal with these two crises. Clearly they cannot. We need a different approach.#
- Postscript #1: Jon Stewart was definitely on track to be the current day Walter Cronkite before he left The Daily Show. I know he disclaimed that he was just a comedian, but he was much more than that. #
- Postscript #2: Three observations that address the shortcomings of news in covering the current situation. If Cronkite were alive and observing the rise of Trump and our failure to address climate change, I'd like to think he'd do a corner-turn today like the one he did in 1968 around these ideas.#
- Occam's Razor. If it's obvious, report it as obvious.#
- Common sense. Life teaches us how people are. Use that info.#
- This is a dire situation. (Trump, climate change.)#
- Postscript #3: The title of this piece is derived from the song Mrs Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel. #