Reports of My Death Are Greatly Exonerated…
So, I was up late last night when the sad news of Ted Kennedy's passing away hit the newsfeeds. Almost twenty-four hours later, and as my wife mentioned the overview of Kennedy's life that NPR offered (adding how surprised she was - as was I when she told me - how many key works of legislation he had spearheaded), it got me wondering how his death was being reported. On a whim, I went to three sites to check out the homepage headlines: NPR, the New York Times, and Fox News. I chose those three because NPR is often viewed as leaning towards the left, the Gray Lady is ostensibly as mediated as possible, and Fox News is, well, you know. Their guns pried from their cold, dead fingers and all of that (apologies to Charlton Heston).
Here is what I found:
SAMPLE #1: NPR:
I was not surprised, after my wife's discussion the coverage she heard on our local NPR station, to find NPR's headlines focused more on Kennedy the man: his life and his impact. Note the photograph chosen: chin upright, held by hand...this is Kennedy the statesman.
NPR.com homepage, August 27, 2009 at approximately 10:30 PM