David Schimke

Thu, 03 Apr 2003 21:52:32 GMT

This Blog has Moved

From now on, surf to http://babelogue.citypages.com:8080/dschimke/ to access more of my rants and raves.

Tue, 01 Apr 2003 21:14:57 GMT

Balanced Coverage or Balancing Act?

From a global vantage point, this morning's most telling (and troubling) war story involved the killing of ten Iraqi men, women and children that were in a van that failed to stop when troops from the Second Brigade of the U.S. Army's Third Infantry Division waved them down and fired warning shots. It's the sort of story, Shibley Tehami, the Anwar Sadat Chair for the Peace and Development at the University of Maryland told Katherine Lanpher on MPR's Midmorning, that fuels ant-American sentiment in the region and, as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek said last week, will create "100 new bid Ladens."

Both metro dailies in the Twin Cities, the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, featured the story prominently (the Strib starting William Branigin's Washington Post report on Page One, the PiPress teasing the tragedy on their cover, then running the same piece inside). Both papers also chose to print and give even more prominent play to a piece written by the Associated Press's Chris Tomlinson, chronicling how an U.S. infantry division rescued a civilian woman who had run out onto the bridge they were in the process of taking on their way through Hindiyah, Iraq--a Euphrates River town.

The Strib ran the AP story on top of (and in tandem with) Branigin's report, then jumped both pieces to the same inside page. The PiPress led their special war section with the AP story. What was most telling, though, was that both papers chose to run a full-color AP photo of the rescue on Page One, just below their flags, above the fold.

The implicit message, whether it was consciously delivered or simply a consequence of both newspaper's attempt to be "balanced," was that the tragedy involving the van near Kabala (now under investigation) can somehow be measured against the heroic efforts of U.S. Troops in Hindiyah. It's no surprise that most media outlets around the world did not make the same connection.

Tue, 01 Apr 2003 18:22:59 GMT

The Rules of Engagement (or how to be em-bed-ded)

While news organizations stumble over one another in an embarrassing rush to promote their war coverage, little ink and even less air time has been expended to let consumers know the rules of engagement for the major media's so-called "embedded" reporters. Those rules are outlined on the DOD's website.

Pieces discussing the dangers inherent in these "regulations" have been digested in a trade-related publications, including the Columbia Journalism Review, Editor & Publisher, and Jim Romenesko's site at Poynteronline. Most of the best work was written before the war started, but it's easily accessed and worth re-visiting.

In the New York Times on Sunday, Anthony Swofford--who served in the last Gulf War and wrote the book "Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles"--writes that "Our Sergeant has suggested that we let the reporters into our circle, that we let them join us as though they were our fellows. He also said, 'Don't tell them a thing.' And we didn't because the reporters laid down for us. The mystique of the military and the military man overpowered their natural cynicism and skepticism. The reporter doesn't put pressure on the soldier because he doesn't want to be the bad guy. The young kid might die tomorrow, so why make him buckle today with intrusive questions? The kid is young and rugged, the reporter thinks; the reporter sees his braver and sexier and more romantic self in him. The real-time reporter broadcasts the combatant's bare and muscular chest because that is the vision that jibes with what the viewer wants. The reporter falls in love; he rests his head on the young, muscular chest."

Former Minneapolis journalist, now New York Times reporter David Carr made similar observations to Swofford during the March 28 broadcast of National Public Radio's "On the Media."

Mon, 17 Mar 2003 16:33:51 GMT

Bad Jazz, All Good

Last week, while saxophonist David Sanchez was blowing his last set at the Dakota Bar in St. Paul, a copy of the March issue of JazzTimes was being passed around the back bar. The teaser above the magazine’s flag read, “The Bad Plus: The Best Trio You’ve Never Heard.” In the piece on the inside, Stuart Nicholson opines that The Bad Plus’s first major label CD, “These are the Vistas,” is one of the most important jazz recordings of the last decade.

Dakota proprietor Lowell Pickett was beaming about the buzz for two reasons: the band is coming to the club in early April (and, judging by the crowd at the Sanchez show, the place could use the ticket sales), and all three members of the trio—pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer Dave King--are originally from the area. King, who City Pages named Best Jazz Artist in 2002, also plays for locally based jazz group Happy Apple, and gigs with a host of rock bands.

The rave in Jazz Times is one of dozens. Reviews in the London Times, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, Newsweek, and a whole host of other have pimped the Columbia Release (produced by Tchad Blake), for its crossover appeal to indie rock and hip hop scene.

This week the group is in France. Here’s hoping they can drop some good vibes while they’re over there—remind the frogs we’re not all bent on bullying the world.

Tue, 11 Feb 2003 17:06:19 GMT

In the Dark of Night

Last Thursday, singer Steve Earle played at First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Voice hoarse from too much touring, he struggled through a 90-minute set that was, as usual, motivated by his various, very righteous political causes: anti-death penalty, pro-labor, and now, not at all surprisingly, anti-war with Iraq. (The stage was festooned with "No War with Iraq" signs and the show ended with an appropriately embattled version of "What's so Funny About Peace Love and Understating." )

At one point, Earle--often Billy Bragg-ian in his tune-to-tune patter--noted that while the justice department might not "be watching you yet, I know they're fuckin' watchin' me." The line got a collective nod of recognition, in large part because Earle's latest CD, Jerusalem, kicked up noise in the news because of a song entitled "John Walker Blues," in which Earle empathizes with the disillusioned spirit of a young American Muslim. "Well, fuck 'em," Earle exclaimed. And the band launched into a scorcher.

Little did Earle know that at that very moment, Attorney General John Ashcroft's office was passing around a sequel to the USA Patriot Act that endeavors to expand even further the government's ability to gather "intelligence," while simultaneously decreasing judicial review and public access to information. The bill, entitled the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, has not been officially introduced by the Department of Justice, but it's making its way around the beltway and is available in its entirety online, at the website for the Center for Public Integrity.

Since Earle's show, there have been a few small news stories on the Patriot Act's scary sequel, and decent play given to the consequences on various websites, such as the home page for Bill Moyer's NOW. But, for the most part, though, news about the impending war on Iraq and heightened states of domestic alert have pushed this very disturbing development to the back page. For those who don't remember, the first Patriot Act was literally passed in the dark of night. Hopefully, this document will get a lot more folks like Earle ranting and raving before it sees the daylight.

Tue, 07 Jan 2003 17:42:01 GMT

Fighting Terror from the Ivory Tower

The day after the 2000 election, I hopped onto an empty elevator in an office building in downtown Minneapolis. It was early and, after a long night of watching the state of Florida turn into Venezuela, my eyes were aching, my paper coffee cup was shaking, and I was giddy from lack of sleep.

An smartly groomed businessman, wearing a tailored business suit and a pair of just-polished cowboy boots got on the elevator a floor later. He looked me up an down, then broke into a welcoming smile. "Long night?" the fifty-something, father-type laughed. I just shook my head with a groan. "Crazy stuff," he agreed.

I asked him how long he had managed to stay awake the nigh before. I asked him what he thought would happen. He wondered where I worked, wanted to know how long I'd lived in the Twin Cities. We had an instant rapport. In the time it took the elevator to climb the ten floors to his stop we were on a first name basis. He even knew how long I'd been married.

"Well, I guess we'll see what happens," I said as we shook hands and he got off the elevator. "I guess we will," he smiled. Then, just as the elevator door began to shut, he turned and looked me level in the eye. "One thing we know for sure though," he said, the tone of his voice still gleeful, but somehow more menacing. "Ivy intellectuals need not apply. They can go back to their ivory tower and watch while the rest of us get something done."

The exchange puzzled me for days. Was the guy playing me? Was he serious? Did I say something to make him think he should call out my politics? Or, like the guys in the steam room at the local gym where I play hoops, does he just assume every red-blooded American male with a firm handshake votes Republican?

I was reminded of my elevator ride this morning, when I came across the following headline in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Master's in National Security Offered."

Seems the fight against terror has made its way into the Ivory Tower. And I couldn't help but wonder what my elevator mate must be thinking now. "Seeking to train specialists for the war on terrorism, Sandia National Laboratory in Livermore announced Monday that it was joining with an East Coast university to offer the nation's first master's degree in National Security and Public Safety," the article, written by Chronicle staff writer Tanya Schevitz, begins.

"The innovative new master's degree, which will be awarded through the University of New Haven in Connecticut, will focus on homeland security and information protection as well as national security. Classes will be held at the lab, and interested students will need to pass a security clearance to attend.

"The program is part of a trend among U.S. colleges and universities to integrate courses responding to the terrorist attacks into their curriculum. Many schools have established new courses on national security, Islamic studies, technology and intelligence since Sept. 11. Just this week, at the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges, college representatives are discussing how to include bioterrorism training in the medical curriculum."

Of course, the program--slated to begin later this month with a freshman class of 15--is limited to U.S. citizens, because the pupils need to pass through a security clearance. And while the eager youngsters will study military tribunals and bioterrorism, I didn't get the vibe from the Chronicle piece that either ethics or international law would discussed or considered. Apparently that will have to be done by those other Ivy league intellectuals who are wasting time while the rest of us get something done.

Tue, 17 Dec 2002 18:06:56 GMT

The Missing Links

Even if you have finally turned off the white noise and get most of your news in print or online, it's often hard not to start wondering, based on the headlines and the most prominently placed stories, whether or not the Bush Administration's single-minded obsession with war is somehow justified by the facts. Paranoia, after all, is an insidious thing--and when its being jammed down your throat 24/7, it's hard not to become suseptible to the pro-war spin coming out of Washington, courtesy of everyone from Rush to the New York Times.

To get you through these moments of weakness, I highly suggest that you spend an hour or so looking at the country through the eyes of the international press. In particular, it's fascinating to read outside anaylsis of our wartime media coverage. In yesterday's Guardian, there's a compelling analysis of the Washington Post's attempt (and utter failure) to either substantiate or invalidate the link between al-Qaida and Iraq; and a look at how that non-story trickled down into the news cylce to create the overall impression that, despite the lack of evidence, there is most certainly a link.

Wed, 11 Dec 2002 17:00:41 GMT

Star Spangled Apology

This simple but striking piece of animated political commentary was making its way around the Macalester campus in St. Paul this morning and was sent my way by the lads at the BushBoy.com (who I've praised in both these blogs and in my column in this week's City Pages).

I know that history dictates things get awful before they get bearable. Every morning, though, I wake up to the world news and wonder how much more damage has to be done before the ground starts to shift and people finally begin to rage at this administration's hypocrisy.

On Saturday night I was chatting with a musician who had just returned from Europe, where he said that, for the first time, he really felt an anti-American vibe coming from fans. Noteworthy, given that jazz artists have traditionally been celebrated abroad, and typically enjoy immunity from ire aimed at U.S. foreign policy. He also couldn't help but notice upon returning to New York how the citizenry seems to still be shell-shocked or, worse, locked in a dream of denial