Bookraft

There is a cult of personality that pervades the Fifth Estate... and this is nothing new. Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin were in neither case wilting wall flowers. And of course the check out counter ragsheets had the Yellow Press of a century ago as inspiration.

Yet newsmakers cannot be utter imbeciles. At the very least, one needs a level of gravitas - be it the tenor of voice, the manner of delivery or the perceived seriousness of topics addressed either in print or on the air. But of late the Press has become a full contact enterprise. And nowhere is that more apparent than in Fox News

Fox and News Corporation (ironic oxymoron) are the leaders in semi-serious smears and slurs plus outrageous Ad Hominems - attacks impugning the character, good will or patriotic intentions of both players and press men and women that would dare to contradict there party line. The streets of New York brawls have become the norm among the Press Corps lead by Fox n. See one take on this here ... but also, stomach if you can some of the political commentary and pit bull attacks of commentators like OReilly, Hannity and Thungs.

But equally depressing is the Machiavellian management behind this News Corp. Brazen Political Partisans. I have always wondered a)how Still President Bush could have gotten elected for two terms and b)how such breathtaking incompetence could be tolerated for so long. But then when you consider how the Press and Infotainment has devolved into such partisan rancour - perhaps "plausible" is not such a stretch.