|
MY COUNTDOWN ON KEITH OLBERMANN
("Smart Bomb,"March/April 2007):
10. Olbermann is, has been, and continues
to be a total "jackass" and "smart
aleck" (as is clearly illustrated by the article).
9. Olbermann is a master of polarizing,
snarly, bitter, mean sound bites without
substance.
8. Olbermann is properly pigeonholed
in the article with Michael Moore
and Al Franken, two other individuals
whose work has been demonstrated to be
totally intellectually and factually dishonest,
inaccurate, and biased "journalism."
7. Olbermann's snippy, childish outrage
directed at Bill O'Reilly (and Fox
News) has "received no specific retort"
only because O'Reilly correctly recognizes
that this immature conduct does not
deserve the dignity of a response.
6. Olbermann is (as much as he wants
to be) no Edward R.Murrow! Olbermann is
(as much as he wants to be) no Ted Baxter!
5. Olbermann's "Countdown" is
"tabloid whimsy," full of his "unabashed
commentary" (but not "analysis") and full
of his "anti-Bush rants," but has yet to
demonstrate any "serious policy discussion."
4. Olbermann (and David Dudley):
Please give us just one example of a "civil
exchange" with anybody other than likeminded
journalists and so-called experts,
all with the same agenda and the same
point of view.
3. Olbermann (according to
Dudley) "recalls . . . the burden of
always being right." Please, give us a
break from this overrated obsessive
prima donna.With this kind of arrogance,
Olbermann will "melt down"
again--it's just a question of when.
"Fighting Words"--definitely; "Smart
Bomb"--definitely not!
2. Olbermann does not deserve
to be on the cover of CAM. Dudley's
article, written in Olbermann's
pompous style, is so full of big words
and confusing adjectives and phrases
that he, like Olbermann, would have
gotten nothing but a Big Red F (no
pun intended) from my freshman
English professor in 1958.
1. You can label this submission
as my "commentary" on the subject.
I prefer to think of it as "analysis."As
Olbermann says, "I'm right."
I am angry and outraged that you
dignified this guy with the cover of this
fine magazine. It is rolled up in my fist.
Can you hear me?
David Morthland '62
Tucson, Arizona
LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. Keith
Olbermann joined the ranks of three quarters
of the press, academia, Hollywood,
and assorted opinion-makers in
their six-year jihad against President Bush. You consider this an act of
high courage
meriting the cover of your magazine--
while Ann Coulter '84, who has written at
least four highly acclaimed best sellers and
has far more national recognition than
Mr. Olbermann, merits only a box. Two
cheers for editorial courage.
Harvey Turner '52
Mendham, New Jersey
DURING MY FRESHMAN YEAR, I LIVED
next door to Keith Olbermann (who was then a junior) in Mennen Hall. We
had
adjoining rooms--a permanently locked,
somewhat flimsy door separated us. I
would often hear Keith in his room listening
and re-listening to tapes of his broadcasts,
sometimes late into the night. He
was always apologetic about this, explaining
that it was the only way he had of
monitoring his progress. Yes, Keith was
perhaps a bit quirky--he glued paper over
his windows so sunlight never entered his
room, his obsession with the Yankees was
scary, and he never seemed to eat a regular
meal, subsisting only on snacks. But he
was by far the most driven person I ever
met at Cornell. And as I have followed his
career from afar, from Boston to ESPN to
MSNBC, it is no surprise to me that he
has been so successful. I'll always be a fan.
Dr. Jonathan Levine '81
Guilford, Connecticut
OF COURSE CAM, DEDICATED TO FAIR
and balanced reporting with no political
or social agenda, will publish in the next
issue a puff piece on a conservative alum
writer such as Ann Coulter, right?
Douglas Herz '73
Pleasanton, California
Ed. Note: Four years ago, we contacted Ann
Coulter shortly after the publication of her
book Treason: Liberal Treachery from the
Cold War to the War on Terrorism. She
declined an in-person interview but agreed
to answer a few questions by e-mail. The
resulting Q&A was published in the September /
October 2003 issue.
I MUST COMPLIMENT DAVID DUDLEY
on the wonderful, thorough job he did
with the Keith Olbermann article. A great
read! Having known Keith for so long, I
can say David captured the essence of his
life perfectly. And what's really funny is
that I met Keith's executive producer, Izzy
Povich '89, at that birthday dinner, and I
had no idea that she was a Cornell alum.
In fact, the sheer number of people with
numbers after their names in the story
was amazing in itself.
Peter Schacknow '78
New York, New York
KEITH WAS MY MENTOR AT WVBR
when I was a freshman in 1978–79. He was very professional and helpful
and
instructive. I am happy for his successes.
Lorraine Aronowitz Danzig '82
New York, New York
Truth and Consequences
I AM SORRY CLIFFORD IRVING IS A
member of the Class of '51 (although, fortunately,
I did not know him) and even
more distressed to see CAM print an article
about him ("The Real Thing,"
March/April 2007). Surely there are more
important subjects for the magazine.
Why did you choose to publicize Mr.
Irving's crimes and indiscretions and the
forthcoming movie for which he has been
"well-compensated"? Does he deserve this
because he "paid the price" for not telling
the truth thirty-five years ago? If Brad
Herzog '90 and the magazine's editors
were trying to make a point, I missed it.
And I certainly hope Cornellians will not
patronize the film (whether or not it's the
"truth") in spite of the fact that Richard
Gere is the star.
Phoebe Eisenbrown Berner '51
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Brad Herzog responds: The editors and I figured
the Clifford Irving story was worth
examining because it is both a compelling
tale (and one that many younger graduates
may be unaware of) and a fascinating study
of how the truth can be manipulated--
which is particularly relevant in light of the
journalistic and literary frauds that have
been perpetrated in the past few years.
IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT, AFTER ALL
these years, Clifford Irving is "very interested
in the truth."After all, he did concoct
a story that was eventually proved untrue,
and for that he served time in prison.
Mr. Irving's writing did little more than
embarrass those associated with it, and I
must agree with him that it was a victimless
con. On the other hand, there's a Cornellian
also noted for fabrication, or at least
gross distortion, of facts that resulted in
many victims and untold expense--yet he
not only avoided prosecution but was
rewarded with appointment as head of the
World Bank. I wonder if he will ever be
"very interested in the truth."
Edgar Abram '51
Johnson City, New York
Big Red MVP
I ENJOYED STEPHEN ESCHENBACH'S
article on Joe Nieuwendyk ("Hanging Up
His Skates," Sports,March/April 2007), but
Eschenbach missed a special Cornell
moment in Joe's career.When Joe received
the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the
1999 Stanley Cup playoffs, NHL commissioner
Gary Bettman '74 introduced him
by saying, "from Cornell University and
the Dallas Stars. . . ."A special moment for
two great Cornellians.
Michael Furman '79
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Folk Tale
I WAS DELIGHTED TO READ THE article
about "Bound for Glory" in the January /
February 2007 issue. I am another
Cornellian whose life was enriched and
shaped by the show. As a freshman, I listened
to it in my room in University Hall
5 while studying. I would walk up Libe
Slope to be in the audience for the last set
to take a break from my work. When I
stayed in Ithaca for the summer and didn't
have any studying to do, I began
attending the show from beginning to
end. I enjoyed it so much that throughout
my next three years I managed to do my
work around those three hours and rarely
missed a Sunday night at the Commons
Coffeehouse, as it was then called.
This started my lifelong enjoyment of
folk music and involvement in folk societies
in Albuquerque,New Mexico; in Madison,
Wisconsin; and now in Roseburg, Oregon,
where I have produced concerts and been
on the Roseburg Folklore Society's board
of directors since its inception. Folk music
has been a major part of my life--and the
"Bound for Glory" concerts were the start
of it. Thank you, Phil Shapiro!
Jeri Frank '76
Roseburg, Oregon
Corrections--March/April 2007
From David Skorton, page 2: Due to an
editorial error, we did not include the correct
Cornell class information for Ratan
Tata '59, BArch '62.We regret the error.
"By the Book," Currents, page 23: Jessica
Ward, PhD '05 (not '06), is a postdoc
at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
at the University of California, San Diego
(not the Scripps Research Institute). |
