For 40 years the father of the Palestinian independence movement, Yasir Arafat carefully cultivated – some might say crafted – an effective image as the face and symbol of his people’s struggle. If everything is controversial when it comes to Arafat, it is also contradictory. Depending on which Arafat you choose to focus on, he is either terrorist or pacifist, fanatic or negotiator, murderer or martyr. Brooke examines the evolving media portrait of an iconic and inscrutable figure.
This week, John Ashcroft tendered his resignation as Attorney General of the United States. From his fractious confirmation, through September 11th and the passage of the Patriot Act, he has left a lasting legal legacy. Goodbyes are never easy, but as Ashcroft sings his swan song, Bob takes the opportunity to look back at the times we’ve shared.
This month, the legendary Jimmy Breslin retired from writing his thrice weekly column for Newsday. For over forty years, his column entertained and infuriated readers with tales of colorful New York City characters, and the occasional bombshell investigative story. Jon Kalish compiled this profile of a man famous for his legwork.
When George W. walked out on the stage in Arizona this week, viewers at home could be forgiven for copping a peek at the president's back. Whether or not they could see something there, between the shoulder blades, under the suit jacket, probably depended on their predisposition to a certain rumor churning through cyberspace. To wit: the President is wired. Slate Magazine's Chris Suellentrop joins Brooke to chart the story of the mysterious bulge, and discuss the challenges of covering a rumor.
If you'd like to cleanse your country of a minority population and prevent the media from getting the word out, you may want to talk to Omar al Bashir. He's the president of Sudan, which, according to Secretary of State Colin Powell, bears responsibility for the systematic killing of tribal Africans in the Darfur region. Refugees International president Kenneth Bacon tells Bob why the world press was late to give the story the play it deserved.
One year ago this week, the seemingly impossible became inevitable: the Terminator became the Governator. The entertainment media have hit the jackpot with this story, but the traditional statehouse press is having a hard time accessing the new chief. Brooke talks about Schwarzenegger's press strategy with Peter Nicholas, statehouse correspondent for the L.A. Times.
There are more developments in the FBI's search for the source of the Bob Novak column that outed CIA agent Valerie Plame. This week: The Feds vs. The New York Times.
Ronald Reagan is gone, but at least as far as the cable news networks are concerned, he is not forgotten. Not so with most of the other important news items this week, which were relegated to the nooks and crannies between the Gipper coverage. OTM pauses to consider the casualties in a week of saturation death coverage.
