At a party at SXSW last night — actually, it was a bizarre event called 20×2 in which twenty people (including me) each gave a 2 minute presentation on the theme “What are you waiting for?” — I talked with a visiting Dutch businessman. After introducing myself by apologizing for my country’s behavior, he said that he was surprised by the loudness of the drumbeats. His example was CNN’s official title for their coverage: “Showdown: Iraq.” “It’s as if they can’t wait for it,” he said. Good point. A showdown has to have an outcome in which someone wins and someone loses. America would never “backdown” from a showdown. But this is a showdown only because we have insisted that it be one. CNN calling it a “show down” ain’t journalism.

What does CNN think it is, a blog?

Categories: Uncategorized dw