Off the Record: Let Me Give You an Example, Just Hypothetically
In the comments on my post below, our member Your Grace remarks:
A prominent Democratic politician told me once that the media gives us about 10% of what's really going on. Not because, as now, they are wedded to one party, but because "they just don't know."
Now, I'm not offering the following example because I know something the rest of the world doesn't, I'm offering it as an example of how true this is. Consider this letter from Obama to Brazil's President Lula concerning the Brazil-Iran-Turkey nuclear negotiations. This letter leaked. But I'd wager it represents approximately one-one-millionth of the relevant written and verbal communication among these four countries about this subject, and if you don't have the whole story, you don't have the story.
There is simply no way for a journalist really to know what happened here. Everyone is eager, of course, to tell journalists what they think happened--or what they want the world to believe. But only off the record. Not one of the parties to this diplomatic disaster would be, in my view, credible enough to cite if they weren't willing to go on the record. So a hypothetical journalist reporting on this subject would probably end up with a lot of very interesting rumors to think about.
Oh, to heck with it, let's give up the pretense. That journalist isn't hypothetical. It's me! But like I said, these rumors aren't strong enough to report. They're just interesting enough to make me think that one day, all of this would make a great book.
This stuff gets especially interesting in the context of the weird details. Why, for example, was the building I visited yesterday, which in principle really isn't under imminent threat of invasion, surrounded by enough heavily-armed security to ward off the combined Allied forces? Someone there has a real Custer's-last-stand complex. But why?
I don't know. I'm sure there's a good answer, but no one's telling me.
I asked, of course. The guy winked.
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Aug '10
Re: Off the Record: Let Me Give You an Example, Just Hypothetically
So , are you inferring that our prez was put in place just so the world could have four years to do whatever they wanted ? So all the evil plots could hatch , all the illicit relationships actually go out in public and flaunt their affairs, everyone can be dictator for a day, bad guys can kill whoever they want in whatever number, all the world can express it's basest desires, sort of an amoral holiday and the planners and controllers can do their darnedest to grab as much money and power as possible ? Because , if it's not that,it sure looks like it.
Or maybe it's just a sweet little book that is bitter in the stomach.
Jun '10
Re: Off the Record: Let Me Give You an Example, Just Hypothetically
So all the best stuff is off the record and the stuff that is on the record is hopelessly tendentious. Sounds like a winning formula if you're in the news business. I think I'll rush out and buy Architectural Digest, at least when I read AD I know I'm dreaming.
Edited on Oct 15, 2010 at 8:31am