WRITING CULTURE 2012: Film, Food & Beyond

Bill Clinton is a Superhero. Barack Obama Invented Healthcare

Disclaimer: I think The New York Times’ coverage of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, specifically the Caucus Blog, was comprehensive and all inclusive. For all of last week it captured events as they unfolded and provided brief analysis of both Democratic and Republican rhetoric.

Though I did vote for President Obama in the 2008 election, plan on doing so in November, and have openly mocked Mitt Romney while in the company of registered Republicans,  I did have a few issues with the New York Times’ coverage of the convention. Especially if we consider it to be an esteemed member of traditional news,  the Times’ bias towards the Democratic camp is a bit distracting.

Everyone knows President Obama is the coolest guy to occupy the oval office, ever. We also know Mitt Romney is kind of a prick and that he is  representative of a small percentage of rather prickly Americans than perhaps any other presidential candidate. Ever.

We all know this like the back of our hands because we’ve been entrenched in what appears to be the longest campaign in United States history. You could say that the 2012 campaign began on Wednesday November 5, 2008 and rhetoric of the Caucus Blog reflects that.  It would have been nice to see the New York Times use their tarnish-proof image to add some legitimacy to blogging and try to appear neutral.

That is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the thorough reporting, it’s just so blatantly obvious who the writers are rooting for. In short,  I expected more from the New York Times.

Multimedia Roundup 

Where the Caucus Blog may not have been my cup of tea, the multimedia coverage was pretty impressive. Maybe this is the geek in me talking, but I think the New York Times is really using multimedia effectively to analyze the news, make it digestible, and link to sources. That is, afterall, the point of technology; to make our lives easier through efficiency. [/nerd]

Pieces like the breakdown of Bill Clinton’s speech is great for news junkies, politcos, and aspiring speech writers alike.   The additional commentary is short but allows the reader (or listener) just enough time to take in what is going on, and what the speaker (Clinton) is attempting to convey. I like it for no other reason than I think it really shows how great of an orator Bill Clinton is.

I tried listening to Bill Clinton’s speech uninterrupted late last week following the convention, but the cult of personality was a bit too much and I switched it off after ten minutes. The interactive feature allowed me, as a news consumer, to view his speech in context and appreciate it as a excellent example of public speaking rather than a sales pitch.

I thought this was awesome: Words Used at the Convention

There was a video that showed the various factions of the Democratic party as donkeys in different getups, but I can’t find it because I’ve exceeded my article limit. Boooo.

Photo credit: David Handschuh/New York Daily News