Fascinating article in the NYT by David Carr who is not quite grumbling about the invasion of 'Fleet Street hacks' into the American media. Actually, he's not grumbling at all really, and indeed, he seems to think that on the whole they bring some much needed virtues to the American media. As seen from 'over here' the American media is a total PC desert of conformity with only the occasional oasis of contrariness, so if some of our dandruff-ridden scribblers can liven them up, so much the better. Having written that, however, a brief glance at some of his examples, which includes the likes of ex-BBC boss, Mark Thompson - they can keep him with my compliments! - I can't quite see where the excitement comes from. Mr. Carr explains part of it thus:
If that’s so, then the renewed British invasion on our shores makes sense because media are becoming more competitive and less mannered with each passing day. Apart from the fact that Mr. Oliver is a very funny man, “The Daily Show” continues to storm along partly because, like Mr. Stewart, Mr. Oliver suspects everyone and everything and says so aloud.
It’s a very British way of thinking. The one question all young reporters on Fleet Street are taught to keep foremost in their mind when interviewing public figures can be best paraphrased as, “Why is this jerk lying to me?”
The news that flows from that mind-set is often far more interesting than American media, which frequently bow to power even as they seek to hold it accountable. (Mr. Stewart, so rapacious when annotating video clips, often goes soft when confronted by an actual interview.)
So, if my e-pal, JK, comes on here again and asks me to take Piers Morgan back, the answer will be 'No' and in fact I might make a small charge for him!
