The Palestine Papers
Claire Berlinski, Ed. ·
Jan 24, 2011 at 6:03am
I have absolutely no idea how other journalists do it. It's been less that 24 hours since Al Jazeera announced that it plans to release the so-called Palestine Papers. And yet every single journalist but me has somehow read them (before they've been made public), authenticated them, analyzed them, and come to a very loud judgment about what they mean.
Why am I so hopelessly slow with these things? I haven't even finished the Wikileaks cables yet. My competitors could apparently polish off War and Peace in one trip to the bathroom.
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Oct '10
Re: The Palestine Papers
I also recall most journalists taking about 3 minutes read a 2000-page health-care bill and conclude that every word of it was absolutely critical to the well-being of children, the poor, and kittens throughout the nation.
Edited on Jan 24, 2011 at 6:34amJun '10
Re: The Palestine Papers
I don't think those "other" journalists are using Metamucil...War and Peace, one trip to the bathroom?
Hang in there, Claire, the tortoise always beats the hair, at least in the fables.
May '10
Re: The Palestine Papers
Reminds me of the joke about the speedreader.
"I just read War and Peace in 15 minutes. It's a book about Russia."
Aug '10
Re: The Palestine Papers
I think Blake is on to something. While you're reading Wikileaks, the journolist drones have read the morning directives, know what to say about the Palestine Papers ( probably something about dual uses for hygiene), and they'll all be saying there in five,four,three......
Reuters, AFP, AP will start, NYT and WAPO will follow. Economist will flesh it out, killing all controversial aspects in order to present a fait accompli.
Heck, it will be a regulatory edict within a couple of weeks, now that they have stopped using Congress to pass things. By the time the agencies drop the question onto Sebelius' or Napolitano's desk, 5 thousand articles will have smoothed, wrapped, and presented it to the "readers". There will have been 500 conservative blog screeds about it, in support of those two newspaper articles, and five mentions on Fox, all the same day.
Jun '10
Re: The Palestine Papers
Nick Stuart: Reminds me of the joke about the speedreader.
"I just read War and Peace in 15 minutes. It's a book about Russia." · Jan 24 at 7:18am
Woodie Allen.
Jul '10
Re: The Palestine Papers
Claire, are you reading stuff before you write about it again? That's plain crazy.
This is a new age, with world wide nets and many houred news cycles. Quaint concepts like basic research are mere impediments.
Remember, if no one else has read it, you can write whatever you want. By the time anyone could notice it's wrong... time for something new to yak about.
May '10
Re: The Palestine Papers
I think it may be similar to how I often just skim posts and then say whatever the Hell I was going to say based on the title.