A few nights ago in San Antonio, Al Gore gave his global-warming lecture at the American Institute of Architects’ national convention. “It’s in part a spiritual crisis,” he said. “It’s a crisis of our own self-definition – who we are. Are we creatures destined to destroy our own species? Clearly not.”
According to the San Antonio Express-News, Gore was “especially critical of the business community’s current focus on quarterly profits at the expense of sustainable business practices.” The paper further quoted Gore as saying this about the business community: “That’s functionally insane, but that is the dominant reality in the world today.”
This brings to mind at least two questions:
1. Does this sound like a man who’s thinking about running for president?
2. Does this lecture sound like a newsworthy event that the Express-News was wise to cover?
I think the answer to the second question is a slam-dunk yes. As for the first question — well, maybe that has to do with the second question.
As it turns out, Gore’s lecture was not open to the media. (As I’ve written before, Gore holds the media in some large part responsible for inaction on climate change.) This made the Express-News unhappy. “Al Gore and his crusade to raise awareness about global warming and climate change are issues of great public interest,” said the paper’s editor, Robert Rivard, “and while he has the right to address the visiting architects behind closed doors, we have an obligation to make every effort to report on his speech to a wider audience. We take climate issues seriously at our newspaper and, frankly, it’s odd that he is adamant about shutting out the press.”
So how’d Express-News reporter Anton Caputo get the story?
The paper’s public editor explains:
So here’s what happened: Our intrepid reporter, Caputo, went over to the convention center Thursday, registered under his own name and address as an “expo only” attendee and got a pass that gave him access to the speech. Then he covered it and wrote about it. It was that easy.
Purists might contend that was unethical. To me, it was like crashing a Ku Klux Klan rally. Gore didn’t want coverage. We think he deserved it.
Holy cow. Did a major newspaper’s public editor just equate an Al Gore lecture with a Ku Klux Klan rally? (Next thing you know, the News-Express will be going after the Realtors.) If Gore does decide to run for president, I have a feeling he’ll have a little bit of trouble convincing some members of the business community that they are not, in fact, “functionally insane.”
(Hat tip: Jim Romenesko.)
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1. Sure; he has refused to rule it out.
2. You’re right: slam dunk yes, whether or not it has anything to do with #1.
And the Express-News did the right thing. The press is not in the business of being polite to public figures, though one could be excused for thinking that since 9/11. The KKK reference, while a touch heavy-handed, was apt. In fact, maybe newspapers would do well to be a little heavy-handed for a while. The paper served the public, while Gore (or at least his PR people)was being a sanctimonious snot. I admire Gore and his message, but the only unethical behavior was trying to bar the press from attending. And by the way, the Express-News also did the right thing by explaining its decision. It’s sad that the public needs any kind of primer on why news is news, but that’s the fault of news outlets as well as consumers (and a topic for another day).
1. Sure; he has refused to rule it out.
2. You’re right: slam dunk yes, whether or not it has anything to do with #1.
And the Express-News did the right thing. The press is not in the business of being polite to public figures, though one could be excused for thinking that since 9/11. The KKK reference, while a touch heavy-handed, was apt. In fact, maybe newspapers would do well to be a little heavy-handed for a while. The paper served the public, while Gore (or at least his PR people)was being a sanctimonious snot. I admire Gore and his message, but the only unethical behavior was trying to bar the press from attending. And by the way, the Express-News also did the right thing by explaining its decision. It’s sad that the public needs any kind of primer on why news is news, but that’s the fault of news outlets as well as consumers (and a topic for another day).
“Insane” fits Gore much better. I believe he is the classic elitist who feels that his importance allows him special privilege because his cause is righteous and he is it’s messenger. That he would try to avoid his speech being publicized supports his megalomania. His rationalizations of having a much larger “carbon footprint” than the average person but it being offset by some trick because his message will save us is indication of that. How can any public figure that so exploits the media complain that the media are less than desirable?
How much did he get paid for this dog and pony show anyway. This is what free press is all about.
“Insane” fits Gore much better. I believe he is the classic elitist who feels that his importance allows him special privilege because his cause is righteous and he is it’s messenger. That he would try to avoid his speech being publicized supports his megalomania. His rationalizations of having a much larger “carbon footprint” than the average person but it being offset by some trick because his message will save us is indication of that. How can any public figure that so exploits the media complain that the media are less than desirable?
How much did he get paid for this dog and pony show anyway. This is what free press is all about.
And one more thing while I’m pontificating: Gore is spot on with his description of the quarterly profit report scenario as “functionally insane.” It’s actually a a quite accurate term for it, and is compelling locutionally (and ironically, for the newspaper business, it’s the business topic du jour). So why wouldn’t he want that reported as something he said? Especially if he is in fact running for president, yet again.
And one more thing while I’m pontificating: Gore is spot on with his description of the quarterly profit report scenario as “functionally insane.” It’s actually a a quite accurate term for it, and is compelling locutionally (and ironically, for the newspaper business, it’s the business topic du jour). So why wouldn’t he want that reported as something he said? Especially if he is in fact running for president, yet again.
The Egretman’s three rules of how to lose the debate instantly.
1.) Compare your enemies to Nazies or the Klan.
2.) Compare yourself to Rosa Parks.
3.) And never ever under no circumstances ever propose a senario that includes “aborting all the black babies”. Thanks to Mr. Bennett.
Now it appears that Mr. Caputo did get close to rule #1, although I suspect he doesn’t completely think of Al Gore as the enemy. Nevertheless it’s an instant debate loser.
On another note, isn’t it interesting that both the left and the right think that the media is responsible for their side of the story not getting out?
The Egretman’s three rules of how to lose the debate instantly.
1.) Compare your enemies to Nazies or the Klan.
2.) Compare yourself to Rosa Parks.
3.) And never ever under no circumstances ever propose a senario that includes “aborting all the black babies”. Thanks to Mr. Bennett.
Now it appears that Mr. Caputo did get close to rule #1, although I suspect he doesn’t completely think of Al Gore as the enemy. Nevertheless it’s an instant debate loser.
On another note, isn’t it interesting that both the left and the right think that the media is responsible for their side of the story not getting out?