‘Uncategorized’ Archives
Wow….That’s Attitude
Nice to see somone sticking up for the 'hood: The Pulitzers are big, clunky trophies for the rich. They honor lavish work that has no bearing on the reasonable strivings of most journalists, dazzling achievements that are a galaxy apart from the nimble municipal reporting that energizes a robust civic culture. They amplify a structure of dominance [...]
Flattering … I Guess …
by David Phinney April 19, 2006 -- In the past month, I have been contacted twice by BBC, and once each by CBS's "60 Minutes" and Aljazeera International about this story, Blood, Sweat & Tears: Asia's Poor Build U.S. Bases in Iraq. Others include National Public Radio asking for my sources and advice based on Adding Insult to Injury [...]
A Head for Counting
Monkey see, monkey do... The latest is that FEMA employees are accused of soliciting kickbacks from a food contractor during post-Katrina recovery efforts in New Orleans. The way they proposed to make their extra money is very similar to what some contractors in Iraq are claimed to do. It's called headcount. To make more money you simply inflate [...]
Private Security Costs
Some one asked about Private Security salaries in Iraq sometime ago. I am cleaning up my notes and thought I would share this trivia from a conference last spring. This is what one security company gave me (if you want attribution, ask me): Manager -- $180,000 to $250,000. UK Special forces vet: $630 to $810 daily. UK Green vet: $405 to $550 [...]
I Was Thinking the Same Thing
Stop the press.... This just in. Jack Shafer's curtain raiser for the April issue of the Journal of Political Economy::If a media outlet cares about its reputation for accuracy, it will be reluctant to report anything that counters the audiences' existing beliefs because such stories will tend to erode the company's standing. Newspapers and news [...]
What Feeds Objectivity: Ignorance or Knowledge?
by David Phinney March 31, 2006 -- Leonard Downie heads The Washington Post newsroom. He may be one of the most well informed citizens in the United States, but he DOESN'T vote. And because he doesn't vote, he doesn't want his reporters to vote. Why? He wants to project a posture of unbiased views, according to the Washingtonian mag. ( In [...]
Wheat Deal Worth Hundreds of Millions
We've heard about the kickbacks made to Saddam Hussein and his cronies during the UN sanctions of his regime. The slippery arrangement included sliding the grisly fellow millions of dollars under the table for contracts here and there -- sometimes sweetened with black market oil as well..... But the Australian Wheat Board Deal, aka, AWB, [...]
All in the Family
Barbara Bush donates money to help children of families hit by Hurricane Katrina -- with the stipulation that her son's company get the business. The Houston Chronicle reported Saturday:Former first lady Barbara Bush donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund with specific instructions that the money be spent with an [...]
You Say Iraq, I say Afghanistan…..
Well, I was just reviewing the transcript from President Bush's presser and his exchange with Helen Thomas..... It seems the prez lacked a bit of clarity about the differences of Afghanistan and Iraq -- let alone, answering the question. Thomas asked the president why he ordered the invasion of Iraq. He preferred justifying Afghanistan as a stand [...]
Helen Thomas Teaches News Media “Lap Dogs” New Tricks
I remember cornering Helen Thomas at the 2000 Republican convention in Philadelphia. I needed some "esteemed" political reporter to interveiw for National Public Radio and I figured that a woman the same age as my recently deceased mother would certainly fit the bill. Few living reporters have covered the White House or Washington longer. Surely, [...]
