Forgot to mention this yesterday. The New York Times buried the JFK terror plot story on page A 30. JFK Airport, by the way, is IN New York City. If the alleged terrorists did " destroy " the airport, those working in the New York Times building would A./ Probably see it and B./ probably feel its shock wave.
It's not like the gendarmes had foiled a plot to blow up, say, O'Hare.
So why did they bury it? Maybe they thought it wasn't much of a story. That's what I thought when I posted on this a couple of days ago.
But what do I know?
5 comments:
OK I really have to comment though I've held my tongue, especially when you brought this sort of thing up recently re the Ft Dix thing. Of course I agree with you to some respect, the "authorities" self-servingly playing on our fears yada, yada. But please do not become so blaise about these idiots...i.e. they're incompetent, it's just blustering etc. Even jerks can cause a lot of damage- look at that moronic shoe-bomber; if he could have figured out how to light the fuse and the recent V.T. schmuck got a lot accomplished and caused a bit of mayhem that brought the country to a standstill over what, 26 dead? I'll bet someone determined yet stupid could be more effectual with even more deaths...so don't pooh-pooh please. At least that's my opinion...so there.
Your point is taken. I think my argument is more about the timing of these foiled plot announcements. I haven't see Christopher Whitcomb getting much face time lately. But I always listened closely to what he had to say when he was on Imus, etc. He said the FBI is indeed doing a good job in preventing bad stuff from happening.
Again. It's the timing. And the choice of which gestating plots on which to aim the spotlight. This plot appears to be half baked at best, but it had " big eyes. "
It's PR badly executed and still reminds me of what the Paper City cops used to do.
Your a reporter, The plot didn't work. So on the big news like Paris in jail. Personally I think it's better to keep quiet and go after the bad guys. Now if it takes a rubber hose or any other way of getting information out of them, It's better on page 15 for now. The public will forget but the authories won't. I hope. Look, If I were the terrorist, I would jab on the east coast and go for the knock out punch in the West. Let's hope the West Coast guys aren't out surfing instead of taking care of little old me. Fred
The Times editor who made the decision to put the story on A30 obviously thought the whole thing was overhyped and thought he could send a message to the Bush admin by burying the story ("See you're not fooling us! We're the NYT and we're too smart to be fooled." -- Judy Miller notwithstanding)
Meanwhile, it was a story of great interest to people in the NY metro area. This is a fine example of why elite newspapers are losing audience (and revenue).
Fred - You're saying Paris Hilton being in jail ISN'T a big story?? Seriously, the cable news guys drive, control what America pays attention to. If Australia were destroyed by an asteroid, that might ( might ) be the lead story. But you can bet your bottom dollar that they'd segue from that one...
" And speaking of big bangs, Lindsey Lohan was arrested and charged with DWI after her Porsche crashed into the back of an SUV driven by..."
The cableistas were all over the JFK plot story like maggots on rotting flesh. It doesn't even have to bleed to lead. The promise of bleeding, lots of it , will result in it leading. And you're right. We'd better watch out for diversionary tactics. The late Red Smith wrote a column once about a guy who ran out onto the field and attacked an umpire. There was little or no reason for doing so. He hadn't missed a strike, or a call at second. What was the guy doing there out on the field? He was the second banana in a two man team only a vice squad could love. The other guy was up in the stands picking the pockets of those in the stands who were watching the action on the field.
It's all magic. Blue smoke and mirrors. Nothing's what it seems, it seems.
And Terry. Even guys who are in the news busines are passionate in their loathing for some newspapers. Always amazed me when I heard the strong feelings of people in the town that I covered. They hated, loathed the Transcript-Telegram. Your feelings about the Times. You certainly aren't alone. Why'd they bury it on A30?
Well, as you said, it was of much interest to those in the metro area. Ergo, put it in the Metro Section. Or, speaking of the cable guys again. By the time the Times hit the street, everybody in America had alrady gotten their vat of coffee and three donuts from Dunkin ( America doesn't run on Dunkin, it runs on the news! ) and had already seen, over and over and over again the loop dee doop scoop du jour: The JFK Terror Plot Foiled story.
So it was old news, sort of. The kind that gets buried on page A30 of that rag, that old gray lady, The Times.
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