Sunday, August 30, 2009

Biased reporting on Ted Kennedy, part MCLXII

Philip Greenspun serves it up, comparing reporting on Kennedy's death to reporting on EMC founder Richard Egan's:
Globe reporters have not been as kind to Egan as they have been to Ted Kennedy; Egan being disciplined for being AWOL at age 18 gets a larger percentage of coverage than does Ted Kennedy’s killing of Mary Jo Kopechne when he was 37 years old, married with three children
As I've said before, I don't actually mind them being biased. I just can't stand it that they think I'm dumb enough to fall for that "unbiased professional journalist" shtick.

And a bonus track from Professor Greenspun's place, a heart-warming story about a (Ted Kennedy-style) hero dog:
A friend’s Samoyed recently asked himself how he could serve his country. Inspired by Ted Kennedy, this hero dog decided that he would not work directly with the poor, who can be both smelly and unsightly. Nor would he give more than one percent of his Milk Bones to charity (source). He tried to get his paws on some other folks’ money and then spend it to help the poor, but lacking the power to tax (or opposable thumbs), he was unable to get the $$. Sammy also decided against serving in the U.S. military in a war zone. Finding both Senatorships in Massachusetts occupied by unassailable incumbents (despite the terrible hardship of the job, some American heroes are willing to serve multiple terms in the U.S. Senate), Sammy the Samoyed had only one remaining option in order to become like his hero Ted Kennedy. With a little help from the New England Patriots cheerleaders, this photo shows Sammy enduring the kind of hardships that made Ted Kennedy Barack Obama’s hero.
Click through to the pic. Quality snark, yessir.

No comments: