Karie Dozer

Biased Media?

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:56:00 GMT

OBAMA - KANYE?

Sometimes you just have to call things the way you see them. And, whether you find yourself siding with President Barack Obama on healthcare, the economy, or the war in Afghanistan, you have to hand it to him for speaking his mind and getting it right when he called Kanye West a jackass. Now, unfortunately, he was speaking to a small group around him before the start of a press conference. He never intended for the world to hear his comments. But, in today's world, not much goes unnoticed, and some ABC news employees overheard the comments and posted them on Twitter. They have since deleted the tweets, after discovering their "off the record" source. But I for one am happy that the news got out. It is such a relief when a politician speaks his mind about something that Americans are talking about. SO many people in positions of power hold their opinions for fear they will offend someone and lose a vote or two. President Obama may not have used the word "jackass" if he knew all of America would hear it... But I hope he would-- he was right on.

BIASED MEDIA?

Other sad news from the media world this week.... A Pew Research center poll released this week finds that only 29% of the adults surveyed say they think news organizations get it right when it comes to the facts. Sixty percent of those polled say the press is biased, and 74% say that news organizations tend to favor one side in dealing with social and political issues. As crazy as I think those numbers are, here is the last statistic, which perhaps explains those numbers. Seventy one percent of those polled say their primary or sole source of news is television. That's a lot of Americans who have no other perspective on the news media than perhaps Fox News or MSNBC. I agree, many of the midday and evening programming on those 24-Hour news networks are more than half opinion. I can't figure out why anyone would take those programs for fact, when the anchors openly give their opinions following the presentation of hard news. It used to be that you had to be named to the editorial board of a newpaper before you could use the word "I" in your work. Obviously, every human being sees a situation through their own eyes, and thus, has some particular perspective on it. But, a journalists job is to answer the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. They should do it like a camera capturing an image; as neutrally as possible. And I belive most journalists do. Opinionated anchors, reality TV, and 24 hour news producers with too many hours to fill are clouding our judgement. To those who have lost faith in the news media in 2009, I say pick up a good newspaper or magazine. If paper is too old-fashioned for you, go to that publication's website. Read the NEWS portion. And be careful about the rest.

OVER HEAD

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:54:00 GMT

Somewhere over our heads today is 47 year old Jose Hernandez, a NASA astronaut orbiting the earth in the space shuttle discovery. As amazing as modern-day space travel is, the neatest thing about this mission is Hernandez himself. The son of Mexican migrant farm workers, Hernandez and his brothers and sisters spent weekends working the fields and weekdays working the books. His parents made sure he got an education, and during the little downtime the family enjoyed, Hernandez' job at home was adjusting the rabbit ears on the old family TV so they could all see the picture. Here is a guy who didn't feel sorry for himself that his parents were migrant workers. He applied himself, behaved himself, and decided he would make something of himself. He ascended the ranks within a tough NASA astronaut program, and now his tweets go out in Spanish and English from thousands of miles above the earth. He proves a few things. One--Anyone can acheive, even if their parents don't speak English and perhaps came here without the benefit of citizenship. Two-- real hard work, even the physical kind, doesn't hurt. In fact, it can help shape a sucess story in a very high-tech world. Three-Perseverence can send you flying high. Even into space.

And what a great reminder to never judge a book by it's cover. Or the language it is written in.

"stop the love you save may be your own"

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:06:00 GMT

... those were some of the first words I ever heard from Michael Jackson, a young, adorable, smiling little boy-- singing along with his brothers. What an incredible talent in a young, magnetic body-- the possibilites seemed limitless. And, truly, they were. Emerging from the Jackson 5 as the true superstar talent of the family didn't take long. The more the world loved him, it seemed, the more he acheieved. Until perhaps, the light became too bright, and the weight of the expectations his fans and the media at large became too heavy. Slowly, the world caught glimpses of Michael as he morphed from a a strong, handsome, very physical stage presence into a frail, disfigured, almost transparent form of his former self. Whispers talked of strange skin conditions which "necessitated" the lightening of his skin---tales were told of oxygen tanks used for sleeping, and odd overnight visits from the children of star-struck fans.

Finally, accidents while performing gave way to drug addictions fed by physicians too awed to recommend a safer course of treatment. Now family and friends mourn his death, all pointing fingers at others, asking "who let this get out of hand?" The answer, of course, is that they ALL did. Each family member who didn't forcibly intervene at an opportune moment. Each doctor who continued to look the other way when prescriptions were filled over and over. Each manager or promoter who continued to try to get the next booking, and create the next spectacle.

The world has lost a true talent, but through all the speculation about who is to blame, has anyone considered how painful each day must have been for Michael? I wonder at what age he truly stopped being happy inside. What a shame.

QUICK TAKES

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:06:00 GMT

Saving GM

      Today's news about GM's bankruptcy has come as no suprise to anyone who has paid attention to the past year's events at the Michigan car maker-- a company whose name and log have become synonymous with the American workforce. As the daughter of an Ohio car dealer who sold Lincoln-Mercury products, I regard the inevitable bankruptcy with a measure of sadness, but a great amount of hope. My father was a lifelong Republican, but his beliefs were more rooted in financial beliefs than anything else. He believed it was no one's business how much money you brought home, as long as you took the repsonsibility of your family seriously. He believed in hard work, ingenuity, and second chances. Still, I wonder how much money he would be bringing home if he were selling those cars today. Back in the 1970s in Ohio, it was the very rare garage that sported a Volvo, BMW, or Honda. Today, even those Midwest driveways are mostly filled with imports, products that those families have decided are more worthy of their hard-earned dollars. Americans deserve a good automobile product, especially when it is the second larges purchase they make. I believe that trying to save GM is a good idea, even if it means that when the company emerges from bankruptcy, the US Government will be the largest shareholder. The economy will emerge from this depression, and when it does, Americans will not only have faith in this great company and its products, but the money to re-invest in its future. Given my upbringing, that hopeful outlook is the only viewpoint I can possibly have. And after all, it's that hope that gave birth to this, and other great American companies, in the beginning.

Quick Takes

Saving GM
We must. No matter the cost, and the high hopes we have for non-petroleum based energy and "green" vehicles, if you have spent any real time in the heartland of America, you will realize that we are an unapologetic truck nation.

Change-
Just last week I saw a car ad featuring the CEO of Saturn who said "Saturn isn't going anywhere." Saturn is going somewhere. It is probably going away. This economy is changing faster that anyone realized it could, and hopefully soon it will begin changing for the better.

Abortion Doc Shooting-
Is there any greater hypocrisy than the murder "in the name of God" of an abortion doctor who is attending church? Dr. George Tiller was performing abortions in a state that allowed it. There is no justification. Period.

Obama's date night-
The RNC, and others, are criticizing the President's date night this past weekend, conducted at partial taxpayer expense. The presdient paid for dinner and a show in NYC for himself and his wife, with the taxpayers picking up the travel tab. I suggest a mandatory date night once a month for the president. Keeping the most powerful man in the world happy, healthy, and sane should be among our highest priorities.

That's My Teammate & Life is Delicate

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 05:13:00 GMT

Does it seem like every week there is a new batch of professional athletes sounding off in the press about getting a new contract with their current team? Most of these players are in the middle of a multi-year deal, and because they have “outperformed” expectations, feel they are entitled to a new contract. They conduct interviews, and claim their dissatisfaction and desire to play for another franchise or in another town is not “about the money.” Yet, they plant stories in the media about how they “want out” of their current deal, holding the team officials hostage with a higher salary as ransom. What kind of a teammate must these players be? Can you imagine a co-worker of yours deciding, say, mid-year that he has outperformed everyone else in the office and deserves a raise, and say, a bonus? Professional sports teams take a chance on virtually every athlete they sign in a given year. How many times is it the player who doesn’t live up to his end of the bargain? Sometimes it’s a drunk driving arrest. Other times it’s an assault on the wife or girlfriend. Or, illegal drug or steroid use. And yes, sometimes it’s just plain lack of performance on the field of play. With few exceptions, the player gets his check and the public forgets the misdeed. Quickly.

The Cardinals Anquan Boldin is the latest local player who has been vocal about wanting a trade. With two years left on his contract, the team is in the unenviable position of having to trade away a talented player whose affection for the team that signed him has soured. Is it too much to ask that a player abide by the terms of a deal that he himself signs his name to ?

******

Another story about a plane crash in the news this week… just four weeks after what was probably the most sensational “save” by a pilot EVER. This week, a commuter jet went down near Albany, New York, killing everyone on board and one person in a house it struck on the ground. The plane was reportedly on auto pilot during a severe ice storm, and the NTSB is scrutinizing the actions of the pilot. Computer models show that likely the plane was covered in ice and would have been very difficult to handle. Last month, US Airways pilot “Sully” Sullenberger landed a crippled airbus in the Hudson River, saving the lives of everyone on board, and countless others who could have been in the way in New York city that day. A fast acting crew helped everyone to safety as the pilot combed the aircraft TWICE for anyone left behind. Both pilots encountered an “act of God” – an unavoidable situation caused by nature. Both pilots were entrusted with the lives of all the passengers on board their craft. Both had thousands of hours of training, and, theoretically, the skills to handle a variety of tough situations. But Chesley Sullenerger had some gliding experience to his credit, and he used it to save his passengers’ lives. He told Katie Couric "I needed to touch down with the wings exactly level. I needed to touch down with the nose slightly up. I needed to touch down at a descent rate that was survivable. And I needed to touch down just above our minimum flying speed but not below it. And I needed to make all these things happen simultaneously," And he did. Those passengers on flight 1549 could have just as easily been flying with another pilot that day. One who didn’t know exactly what to do. And the passengers who died on Continental flight 3407 last week may have gotten a pilot who didn’t know how to handle an icy plane. Or, maybe their pilot did everything right and got a bad break. Do we need any more evidence that many situations in our lives are completely out of our control? It makes us feel a little powerless, doesn’t it, that we can be so completely at the mercy of a set of circumstances? And sometimes the stakes can be deadly. It’s a graphic reminder of the delicacy of life and just how much of it is left up to chance.

Lots of transitions this week

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:39:00 GMT

Obviously, all eyes were on the big one in Washington, DC. Two million people stood in freezing temperatures to try to feel a bit of the hope that was contagious in our nation’s capital. President Barack Obama accepted what might be the toughest job around right now. He did so with an uncommon grace and an incredible gift for wielding the English language in a way that inspires hope and creates great dreams while speaking directly to the hearts of each person listening. Of course, he pointed out the great struggles facing our nation, perhaps understating the matter by saying “The State of our Economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality....”

Meanwhile out in the wild west, Arizona, continued the tradition of resignation/secession (or death/secession, resignation/secession, indictment/secession, meteor strike/secession) that has made us a true “maverick” state for 34 years. Jan Brewer stepped into the big shoes of former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and took the oath of office. Brewer also noted the economy when she said “In some ways, this feels like we’ve just shown up for a party but the guests have gone, only the caterer is left, and she immediately hands you a bill.” It’s amazing how powerful our words are, isn’t it? A lot was made of “history” as our former president left the Oval Office. History recalls fondly those who have had great mastery over our language, and often mocks whose who stumble over it. Thank goodness the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. had a national stage and Evan Mecham had a local one.

Bottom line? We’ve all got a big job to do. Our national, state and local leaders have to make the tough decisions about which programs and people stay, and which go. But we as Americans need to remember a little bit about the courage and spirit of our nation’s founders. We have the job of digging a little deeper to see if what makes us different is also what makes us better. Hopefully we will find that it does. And, in the end words will matter less than leadership. I’m betting Barack Obama is both eloquent AND effective.