Columnist almost bites the hand that feeds him


What better way to start off the New Year than to vent my rage at the mass media, the arena in which I have lived and supported myself nigh on these 40 or 50 years or so?

Happily, my present media home, the highly-regarded, well-loved and expertly edited Lakeville Journal, is exempt from the following a cappella folderol. With apologies to Dave L., the late night show for insomniacs, I have, for the moment, 10 complaints:

BIMBOS - Any newspaper, radio or television station that publishes or airs one more word about Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith and the other female wannabe performers should be firebombed.

INSULTING CAPTIONS - When President Bush is standing between two black African leaders, it is NOT necessary, in the caption to write, "President Bush, center." Trust me, I can tell which one is our fearless leader.

UNRETURNED CALLS - It is not necessary, nay, it should be against the law in legal cases, for the reporters to write, "Calls to the attorneys (or the litigants) were not immediately answered or returned." Lawyers DON'T talk about pending, high-profile cases. If they do, they should be disbarred.


u u u


MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS - No member of the media should be allowed to report on "breakthroughs" in the treatment of breast and/or prostate cancer, if they then conclude the medicine won't be ready for treating the public for 10 years.

HALLIBURTON - Once a month ALL media should report on how much Halliburton and the other larcenous contractors that have been hired to rebuild Iraq, even as we continue to destroy it, have pocketed in profits the past five years.

MOVIE OPENINGS - I don't give a fig if an American movie opens in London, Paris, Milan or Slovenia. Big deal. Save the space for real news, like breakthroughs in cancer treatment. (See previous entry above.)

IN DEPTH - No TV anchor should be allowed to call a 30-second sound bite, an "In Depth Report." Thirty lashes or keel hauling.

NEWSMAKER INTERVIEWS - Ditto for the Lehrer News Report. It's my favorite TV news program, but its newsmaker interviews are too damn long, and the reporter keeps repeating the question, with a couple of words changed, ad nauseam. Interviews with secretaries of state, particularly, either send me to the loo or into a deep sleep. The otherwise very capable Warren Christopher, who had a dazzling resume, easily was one of the most boring speakers of the millennium.


u u u


ROBERT NOVAK - Someone explain to me why this pesky old commentator wasn't tarred and feathered after he broke all the rules of security when he broke the cover of Valerie Plane, a loyal and valuable covert CIA agent.

EASY RECIPES - I love cooking shows but I throw pots and pan around the kitchen and split chopping boards in half with my Chinese cleaver when a cooking show host or hostess announces he/she is going to prepare an EASY recipe. And then it contains 10 plus items, and I only have half the ingredients in my already overstuffed cupboard. Further, the entrée has to be marinated overnight in the ice box (that would be the refrigerator) in a marinade that includes thin slices of pure ginger, mandolin slices of truffles extracted from the ground in France by authentic pigs, a pinch of authentic saffron from Kashmir and pure vanilla extract scraped from vanilla beans grown in Tahiti.

So, there you have it. I wager I could summon up a half-dozen more complaints if my back didn't hurt so much from sitting in front of the tube or curled up with a newspaper or magazine.

Oh, I do have one more MAJOR, and I mean MAJOR complaint: We've had enough and we aren't going to take it any more. The news media must return to its original mission: Dispense the news with seasoned reporters and reasonable commentators. In this year 2008, too much of the media have become vehicles of no-sense entertainment.

 


Freelancer Barnett Laschever has spent most of his life as a travel writer. He is co-author with Andi Marie Cantele of "Connecticut, An Explorer's Guide," now being updated for its seventh edition.

Latest News

Donald Francis ‘Frank’ McNally

MILLERTON — Donald Francis “Frank” McNally Jr., passed away peacefully at Vassar Brothers Medical Center on Wednesday Jan. 8, 2025, after a short illness. Frank was a resident of Millerton since 1996. He was born on Jan. 27, 1955, in Cold Spring, New York, at Butterfield Hospital and was raised in Garrison, New York, where he enjoyed exploring and camping in the wilderness of the Hudson Valley, participating in the Boy Scouts as a bugler, and competing as captain of his high school wrestling team.

He was a graduate of James I. O’Neill High School in Highland Falls class of ‘74 and SUNY Cobleskill class of ‘76 where he majored in animal husbandry, specializing in equine science. He then proudly volunteered for the United States Peace Corps where he accepted an assignment to his host country of the Philippines, where he met his wife. Frank would then pursue his lifelong passion for horses and horseback riding on several horse farms in Dutchess County. Later he would work for New York state where he would then retire, spending his time caring for animals, reading, fishing and taking photographs. Frank enjoyed a good laugh with family and friends, while also occasionally winning a game of RISK. Frank was an avid reader, often reading several books a week while in the constant company of his cat.

Keep ReadingShow less
Florence Eugenia Cooper

NORFOLK — Florence Eugenia Cooper died on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, at the age of 92 at Geer Lodge in Canaan, Connecticut where she had been a resident for 2 ½ years. She also spent a couple of days a week at the home of her daughter, the artist Hilary Cooper and her husband Chris Crowley, in Lakeville.

Florence (neé Muhas) was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Greek immigrants. She went to local public schools and then to college at Barnard where she was mentored by Professor of Religion Ursula Niebuhr, wife of the philosopher Reinhold Niebuhr, who urged her to go to her alma mater St Hugh’s College, Oxford University where she earned a D. Phil degree. Later, she received an M.A. in foreign policy with a specialty in China, at the London School of Economics.

Keep ReadingShow less
Frederick Ralph Scoville II

WEST CORNWALL — Frederick Ralph Scoville II, 72, of 243 Town St., died Jan. 7, 2025, at the Waterbury Hospital surrounded by his loving family. Fred was the husband of 45 years to Lynn (Pollard) Scoville. Fred was born in Torrington, son of the late Ralph and Thalia (Hicock) Scoville.

Fred spent his whole life in West Cornwall. He attended Cornwall Consolidated and Housatonic Valley Regional High School. The only time he left was to attend the University of Connecticut for animal science. After school he came home to work with his father on the family farm taking over full-time in 1996 milking dairy cattle and selling hay. His life passion was the farm. He could always be found tinkering on equipment or surveying the neighborhood on his golf cart. The only thing that rivaled the farm was his love of his family. His wife, sons, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren meant the world to Fred.

Keep ReadingShow less
Violet Leila Woods

MILLERTON — Violet Leila Woods, 95, passed away peacefully on Jan. 1, 2025, in Mesa, Arizona. She was born on Jan. 23, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York. Following birth, Violet resided in Millerton, New York, where she lived until moving to Jacksonville, Florida following her retirement. She was preceded in death by her husband, Norman Woods; her parents, Henry George Rice and Eurie Marion Rice; her ten siblings; Audrey, Glendon, Joseph, George, Robert, Gordon, Beulah, Marion, Edith, and Betty. Violet, more commonly known as “Vi” lived a long, fulfilling, and wonderful life spent with family and friends.

Day to day, Violet spent time playing sudoku puzzles and was an avid reader, finding joy in exchanging books with friends. She also found great joy playing bingo, pinnacle, poker, and had a lifelong passion for knitting and crocheting, which she learned from her mother. Many friends or relatives have received sweaters, blankets, and afghans hand-made by Vi. Her handmade gifts truly touched the lives of many.

Keep ReadingShow less