Media Matters

* There was no lack of media tributes over the passing of John McLaughlin, 89, who presided over The McLaughlin Group of political pundits that ran on select CBS and PBS stations for more than 30 years. McLaughlin, a former Roman Catholic priest, will be best known as a journalistic pioneer for helping to reinvent the talk-show format by injecting major measures of political partisanship and more than a hint of entertainment.

His over-the-top style has often been cited as a key factor in bringing larger audiences to public affairs programming. McLaughlin’s unsurprising take: “Journalists can get very pompous, especially in the formalized days of Meet the Press, when they took themselves so seriously. This show demythologizes the press, and I think people like that.”

If ratings are any indicator, McLaughlin has been proven correct. But he has also been proven ironic in his success. He’s a forerunner of what we now see played out daily on cable TV.

Bar room debates can, of course, be entertaining. But you don’t have to wax nostalgic for Lawrence Spivak or Howard K. Smith to appreciate the value of reasoned discussion of really important issues without interruptions, partisan put-downs and personality shticks. Arguably, too much is at stake–nationally and globally–to let reasoned exchanges devolve into show business as usual.

Thankfully, we still have PBS.

* It will be intriguing to see what results from Roger Ailes, the ousted Fox News chairman, giving debate-prep advice to Donald Trump. Whatever the particulars–stay on script, remember your newly nuanced positions on immigration and what name-calling you now regret, etc.–the key variable is Trump. At some point the scorpion candidate will revert to form by blustering and insulting his way through an answer or a follow-up response. The result will not be a net plus for the Trump brand, even if the Deliverance crowd was utterly impressed.

For the record, Ailes was a key adviser to George H.W. Bush during the 1988 presidential campaign–and had his way in limiting debates, which were not a Bush strong suit, with Michael Dukakis.

And this just in. Guess who is Ailes’ lawyer? It’s Susan Estrich, who once helped run a presidential campaign for–Michael Dukakis. What goes around… .

* “Among topics that are recent grist for the editorial-page mill: “Is terrorism getting worse?” As in high-profile attacks and 24-7 media are constant reminders of Western victims in the new normal. But sheer numbers–globally–in the 1970s and 1980s were actually higher.

I think such comparisons–based on quantifiers–are well shy of a full picture. The most relevant variable is perverted religion, the most pernicious of all ideologies. This isn’t a “power to the people,” classic anarchism or an updated civil warfare era. When “enemies” are characterized as “apostates” and “infidels,” that’s worst-case material.

Back in the Cold War days, when atomic doomsday scenarios loomed, the ultimate resolution was available. Nobody wanted to die–on either side. The missile crisis was solved diplomatically. Those were the days.

Today, when you say to your adversary, “I’ll kill you,” the response, in effect, is more than likely to be: “Thank you.” There is no leverage, let alone a common, human bond with a martyr mentality.

Yes, terrorism is getting worse. The ground rules don’t apply to the after-life oriented.

* If you’re a movie aficionado, then summer time is not typically your season. Understandable. Pop-culture piffle is predominant.

But don’t pass on “Don’t Think Twice,” currently playing at the Tampa Theatre. It weaves in universal themes around the unlikely forum of an engaging, improv ensemble. The ultimate challenge: Trying to plan a show-biz career–and a life–amid the oxymoronic nature of creatively winging it. Clever. Funny. Empathetic.

And you just know a chunk of this was off script.

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