Something’s bothering ABC, and it isn’t just Monday Night Football, or even the potential loss of right-wing sponsors…It probably isn’t Disney, either–not before last week, anyway…But since I don’t follow this industry, I can only guess at its problems.
One possibility comes to mind: it’s that the networks can’t follow the wars. They certainly can’t follow them as they did in Viet Nam, if only because they can’t put their own people in the field. In truth, the nets are as clueless as the rest of us about the goings-on in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, and they get most of their news, or what they pass off as their news, from Al-Jazeera and Washington (I’m thinking, for the moment, about that Marine’s report on Anbar province, quite apart from the giant propaganda machine)….And this helplessness must be wounding to their pride and sense of credibility, especially after the modest success of their Katrina coverage.
So this bad movie probably looked to the network like a quick sure fix of some kind: sort of an exposé, a faux-investigative-report, on a topic that looks as though it’s been covered, but whose coverage (i.e. the Commission Report) hasn’t been read or remembered by ABC’s viewers (enabling ABC to capitalize, moralistically speaking, on what Billmon, in his post to this thread, refers to as our “amnesia” ). It’s a kind of story–a safe one, full of heartbreaking drama and gravitas. It looks like network journalism doing its job.
What went wrong? At some level–but where?–its people weren’t up to speed on the devious and militant knavery of the neo-cons, particularly of those that may be lurking on its own payroll.
Perhaps their irritation with blogistan convinced them that warnings about the neo-cons were partisan, inflated, and discountable. If so, then maybe they’ve learned a thing or two about the accuracy and timeliness of blog-centered reporting–about its credibility and delivery-speed. And though they may continue to blow off the blogs, they’ll still have trouble believing that their news division can, or will, do its own job (because it’s been hurt as much by the stories it doesn’t get as by the stories it does). Given the mouse’s taste for quick and drastic “solutions,” it shouldn’t surprise us if it conducts a purge of ABC, and especially of its news division.
(Disney? Disney owns the “news”? I long for the day when a couple of Chinese bankers buy up Disney and scatter its “intellectual property rights” to the four winds of the pirates populating their country.)

Posted by: alabama | Sep 12 2006 17:13 utc | 4

Billmon seems to be a brave man.
so much naturally ingrained courage he possibly takes it for granted and doesn’t even consider other options, lucky us.

Posted by: annie | Sep 12 2006 19:21 utc | 6

i’m right, you take it for granted. ‘nough said

Posted by: annie | Sep 12 2006 21:30 utc | 8

Courage is running off mimiographed copies of underground newspapers while the KGB is sniffing around your doorstep.
your blog (and MOA too) are todays equivalent of underground newspapers and the last i checked the sitemeter here there were some strange visitors snooping around. no worries, our version isn’t as bad as the kgb, yet.
when a person has the knowledge brains wisdom and ability to understand, see and forsee coupled w/a gift to communicate and puts him/herself in a position that exposes those views to thousands of people on a daily basis regardless of how they will be accepted especially when those views are controversial knowing and risking the likelihood a government that has made threats against those who share opposing or radical views can retaliate, continues to lead and influence society w/their talent and ability, well, you are just doing what comes naturally.
all of us who are living our lives w/our eyes open searchning for the truth where ever it takes us and not backing down, many right here on moon, are courageous. it’s going to take a society of courageous people and frankly i don’t know where they all are. at the mall perhaps.
what i like best about moon is so many posters looking under every rock. maybe we will all end up in the same gulag someday.
don’t take it too personally, if you weren’t so talented, you wouldn’t stand out.
i don’t want to get in a further debate w/you because this is not an argument i want to have or loose. we can just agree to disagree.

Posted by: annie | Sep 12 2006 23:21 utc | 10

moving right along
Perhaps their irritation with blogistan convinced them that warnings about the neo-cons were partisan, inflated, and discountable. If so, then maybe they’ve learned a thing or two about the accuracy and timeliness of blog-centered reporting
abc/disney gave the big FU to the blogistan. we may have truth but they have the primetime golden sceen and damnit they are flaunting it. after all, they are only positioning their version to becomes the standard which truth is balanced against. meanwhile they have their competition following the blogs, as we noticed over the last week, including yesterday.
Given the mouse’s taste for quick and drastic “solutions,” it shouldn’t surprise us if it conducts a purge of ABC, and especially of its news division.
they can run but they can’t hide. bet there’s been a fair amount of teethgrinding in the last week.

Posted by: annie | Sep 12 2006 23:50 utc | 12

Ha ha ha…. SKOD! You made me conjure of the last scene from “The Life of Brian” with that comment(#13)! I’m hearing that stupid funny jaunty tune they were playing while Brian and the others were hanging there on the crosses…”Always look on the bright side of life”!
Thanks for the smile.

Posted by: maxcrat | Sep 13 2006 0:32 utc | 14

I sincerely regret my intemperate remarks to Miss DEBS, just last week, re: 205 v. 20#. As if IPU addresses can be threatening.
Fortunately some serious minded folk cleared this all up:
MEMO TO DONALD
Some bloke’s duck got garroted. we’re roasting it in the oven right now.
Hope it tastes good.
Do We Know the Way To San Jose?
Old Song. You Betcha.
Where is Slothrop?
I want to take him to my bosom and suckle him. And feed him a few left overs, as much as he can stomach at his tender age.

Posted by: Ms. Manners | Sep 13 2006 2:39 utc | 16

at least we finally all get to meet
laughing w/maxcrat, good one skod

Posted by: annie | Sep 13 2006 3:23 utc | 18

Well, what do you expect from Negroponte 60 bodies found tortured and dead in Baghdad today , quite frankly, I’m shocked there isn’t more…

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Sep 13 2006 12:11 utc | 20

I was thinking: We’ll Meet Again

Posted by: beq | Sep 13 2006 12:43 utc | 22

What if billmon were to apply his immense gifts towards some kind of “kiddie learning and interactive site” flavored with billmonese that kids can relate to …

He would be Nick Berg’ed by Bill O’Rielly on the FOX News set in front of a live audience within a fortnight and I don’t think Billmon wants his head to part company with his shoulders just yet, especially not over a 20-40 page children’s book at $7.99 (with 15% off if Mom & Dad have a Waldens/B&K/Borders “Prefered Readers” card) — the delight of Freepers/LGFers be damned …

Posted by: Sizemore | Sep 16 2006 12:54 utc | 24