Wind and Sand
I liked Dvorak’s take on how lame and tame is the coverage by the “embedded” journos…
Anchor: Jim, what’s going on there?
Jim: We’re moving north. It’s windy and sand is blowing.
Anchor: So it’s windy and sand is blowing, that’s what you said?
Jim: Yes, it’s very windy and the sand is getting into everything.
Anchor: How long do you think this wind will continue?
Jim: Nobody can say for sure, but it is very windy indeed.
Anchor: It’s affecting visibility?
Jim: Yes, because of the sand, and the wind that is blowing the sand.
Anchor: There you have it. Apparently, at least from our report, it’s very windy and sand is blowing. They don’t know when the wind will stop blowing. And the sand is causing visibility problems. We’ll have another report from Jim in a few minutes to see if this situation has improved.
To media publishers, “The quality matters much less than the fact of it“. So you see, it’s an admission that embedded journalism isn’t about “quality”, or reporting, or anything like journalistic integrity. It’s about appearance, and ratings, and spectacle. The simulations and simulacra of war.