Mediating the Media
Written by Aaron Kwittken on November 19, 2008
Yesterday marked the premier of a new Independent Film Channel (IFC) series, “The IFC Media Project.” The series is a six-part documentary that digs below the surface of media reporting to expose the truth behind media biases, agendas and journalistic integrity – something any PR professional can appreciate.
To kick-off the series, Kwittken & Company helped IFC organize a panel event at Michael’s with some of today’s biggest media heavyweights: Christopher Buckley, Pete Hamill, Arianna Huffington, Bill Kristol and the series’ host, Gideon Yago. On the table for discussion were issues that are front-and-center for the media, including the convergence of “old” and “new” media, censorship, propaganda, and whether the media played a role in leading America to war in Iraq.
The latter turned out to be the most hotly contested topic of the afternoon, inciting a verbal “smackdown” between Bill Kristol and Pete Hamill:
Kristol: “The discussion over the war in Iraq was much more sophisticated than the
debate on Vietnam. All sides were well-represented.”
Hamill: “There is no sense of the reality on the ground by editing out the corpse.”
Kristol: “People don’t know that people die in a war if they don’t see bodies on the
ground?!”
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Hamill: “Let them see the coffins!”
Be sure to check out a clip of the spat at IFC.
Raised blood pressure aside, the panelists presented thoughtful discourse on the increasing influence of the blogosphere, the (de)volution of “breaking news,” source anonymity, and pundits’ susceptibility to ideology.
In addition to the impressive journalists on stage, Kwittken & Company was pleased to have rallied many of New York’s finest editors and writers to attend the luncheon event. Publications ranging the spectrum of editorial focus were present, including The Wall Street Journal, W Magazine, Variety, Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, Portfolio, Crain’s New York, Village Voice, TIME, Mediabistro, Editor & Publisher, and many more.
It was heartening to see so many journalists come together to evaluate the state of news media today and deliberate the future of journalism. It will be interesting to tune in and observe the impact of “The IFC Media Project” on Americans’ all-too-complacent media consumption.
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