I’ve just finished reading “The Lede: Dispatches from a Life in the Press,” by Calvin Trillin, a compendium of stories about the media that he has written over his long career, mostly, but not exclusively, with The New Yorker.
At one point in “The Lede,” Trillin describes himself as “a jester among the jackals of the press – as opposed to my role as a serious (well, all right, moderately serious) reporter who usually writes about people nobody has ever heard of.” That’s as fine a description of Trillin as I can imagine; I’ve been reading him for more than 40 years, and I always sort of imagine him writing with a perpetually arched eyebrow. Sometimes it is arched from bemusement, sometimes because he looks askance at his subjects.
These are wonderful stories that in their own way give us a sense of how the press has evolved over the years. There are moments that startle, and moments that touch. It is a wonderful and one could do far worse than to simply lay in the Trillin oeuvre ands start from the beginning, though I have a soft spot for “Alice, Let’s Eat.”
I must be on a media binge, because the other night I watched “Broadcast News,” James L Brooks’ classic take on life, love and journalism. Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter and William Hurt are terrific as denizens of a Washington, DC, news bureau who have differing attitudes toward the role of the media and the ethics of journalism, and the film sizzles because of the smart, sassy dialogue that defines the semi-romantic triangle. Great film, and worth revisiting.
Finally, you can count me as one of the people thrilled that Jon Stewart has returned to “The Daily Show” anchor desk – he brings a high level of intelligent commentary to a format that has gotten kind of tired. His willingness to criticize both sides of the political aisle has not gone over well in some circles, but I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him. He may only be committed to “The Daily Show” for Monday nights through the end of the year, but that’s a lot better than nothing.
That said, Stewart showed us a different side on Monday night that is totally worth watching. Click here.
I admit it. I cried. And I don’t think it is just because I’ve had three dogs like that in my life – Kipling (who also was a three-legged dog), Buffett, and Spenser, who is stretched out and snoring just a few feet away from me as I write this.
That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you Monday.
Sláinte!!
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